Congress members in the Rajya Sabha’s select committee on Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill have suggested 25 amendments, including changing the voting pattern in the proposed GST Council, excluding tobacco from the ambit, and doing away with one per cent additional tax for the benefit of manufacturing States.
The members, Madhusudan Mistry, Mani Shankar Aiyar and Bhalchandra Mungekar, are likely to give dissent notes if any of these amendments are not accepted. The Congress, however, is for passage of the Bill in the Rajya Sabha. The party has been terming the Bill as its baby.
The party wants to limit the GST to 18 per cent. The party says that in clause two of the Constitutional amendment, words “not exceeding 18 per cent” should be added for ensuring it. In clause nine of the legislation, the members want to know the distinction between supplies, sales and purchase and consignment. The members have demanded clarity in the definitions of these terms in the Bill.
In clauses 12 and 17, to ensure that local bodies do not face losses due to GST, the party wants that the share of local bodies in revenue buoyancy also be mentioned in section 4 (c) of clause 12 and add a new section, 17 (b) (iv) in clause 17, protecting Article 243 H of the Constitution.
On the issue of prominence of the Centre in the GST council, the Congress wants to dilute the powers enjoyed by the Centre and enhance the role of States in the panel.
The party wants one-fourth of the weightage to the Centre and three-fourths of the weightage to the States. In the same clause, the party has suggested that electricity, tobacco and tobacco products, and alcohol for human consumption be exempted from the ambit of the GST.
The party has also demanded that the chairperson of the GST dispute settlement authority shall be a person who has been a Supreme Court judge or Chief Justice of a High Court.
It also wants the settlement authority to have powers to pass suitable orders, including interim orders.