Might GST Bill pass in Parliamentary Monsoon session

TIL Desk/National/New Delhi-Hopes of passage of the goods and services tax (GST) constitutional amendment during the monsoon session of Parliament that begins on Monday have brightened, with the government reaching out to the Congress party in earnest.

On Thursday, information minister Venkaiah Naidu spoke to opposition head in the Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad. The Bill, passed by the Lok Sabha, is pending in the Rajya Sabha, where the government is in a minority.

The Congress wants three changes. It insist on a GST cap of 18 per cent as part of the constitutional amendment. The government has argued this would make future amendments to the cap very cumbersome. Earlier this week, Congress leaders indicated they might agree to a cap in the enabling GST Bill and not the constitutional amendment.