Amidst uproar by opposition parties, FMArun Jaitley on Tuesday tabled the GST Bill in the Rajya Sabha but no discussions could not be held on the same due to the pandemonium in the House.
The monsoon session of Parliament could not be fructified, which saw protests between the government and the opposition, has been a complete washout. A day after intensified sloganeering by the Congress party and war of words between Sushma Swaraj and Rahul Gandhi, both houses Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha adjourned sine die.
From very first day of monsoon session, the Congress had stepped up its agitation demanding the resignations of Swaraj and Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje in the Lalit Modi controversy and Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan in the Vyapam scam. But the government had made it clear that there wouldn’t be any resignations and requested the Congress to agree to a debate and discussion.
As per the Bill, Parliament and state legislatures will have concurrent powers to make laws on GST. The Bill also amends the Constitution to introduce the tax. The GST Council will recommend rates of tax, period of levy of additional tax, principles of supply, special provisions to certain states etc. The GST Council will consist of the Union Finance Minister, Union Minister of State for Revenue, and state Finance Ministers.
