The Finance Ministry on Tuesday ruled out any delay in the rollout of the goods and services tax and said that the deadline of July 1 will be met.
“The preparations are in full swing for a smooth implementation of the landmark tax reform from July 1 , 2017,” it said.
Revenue Secretary Hsmukh Adhia also said that the implementation of GST is on schedule. “The rumours about GST implementation being delayed are false,” he said.
With less than three weeks left for its implementation, many sections of the industry as well as some States have been seeking a deferment as there is not enough preparation on the ground.
“July 1 looks extremely difficult. But you cannot do jugaad for the world’s largest fiscal reform called GST,” West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra said after the meeting of the GST Council on June 11, adding that its rollout should be pushed back by one month to August 1.
However, the Finance Ministry said that preparations are in full swing. The Central Board of Excise and Customs in coordination with the State Governments have increased their outreach programmes for GST to reach the last trader.
GST formations are being notified shortly. The window for migration to GSTN has re-opened to assist the remaining taxpayers.