Sources close to Mr. Jaitley, too, said the Finance Minister was loath to make changes to the draft Bill that might change “its architecture” – an expression that is being read thus far in political circles as indication that the government is unwilling yet to concede ground to the Congress.
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“There was also discussion on the GST Bill”.
The government is keen on pushing through the bill despite the stiff opposition from the Congress and other opposition parties.
Jaitley had said yesterday that Modi is willing to speak to everyone to get the landmark indirect tax law through.
He hoped that since the Congress party has been “rightly claiming” that the GST is their proposal and they moved it, “I am certainly willing to discuss it with them”.
“It has been agreed that the Congress will hold a discussions and deliberations within the party on the issue, while the Government will also seriously reflect on the demands made by the Congress”, said Sharma.
This assumes significance as the Government and the Congress are at loggerheads which is stalling the passage of crucial legislations like the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill. There will be regular meetings between Naidu and Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Ghulam Nabi Azad in both houses throughout the Winter Session of Parliament. We never had it in the past.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and vice-president Rahul Gandhi, said there will be no compromise on the 1% tax for manufacturers, the constitutional cap of 18% for GST rate and an independent dispute resolution mechanism.
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The GST bill has been at the forefront of economic reform for the current government but the opposition has demanded amendments in some key areas of the bill.
