After more than one month of GST rollout, the State Government of Kerala has introduced the Kerala GST Bill, 2017 before the assembly. The Bill was referred to the subject committee for further steps.
Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac, who introduced the Bill said that the state government was trying its best to implement the GST, which was passed by Parliament and which came into effect from July 1.
Kerala would take up at the GST council meeting tomorrow its demand for change in the rate of tax for dozens of items, including that connected with agricultural equipment and medicine, he said.
Isaac alleged that the state’s right to determine tax of a product has been taken away with GST. He also agreed with the criticism that prices of essential commodities had not come down after GST was implemented.
Earlier during question hour, the Minister said that the state would put pressure on Centre to start the Anti-Profiteering Authority. “Nearly 85 percent of traders registered under VAT in the state had migrated to GST”, he said.
To give effect to the GST in the state from July 1, the government had promulgated the Kerala Goods and Services Tax Ordinance, in June last. The present Bill seeks to replace the ordinance by an act of the state legislature.
