GST being rushed, impinging on states’ rights: Manpreet Badal

Writes to Union minister saying there are ‘aberrations’ in new tax regime,’ frequent changes causing inconvenience to businesses’
Chandigarh : A day after Punjab expressed serious objections to the way the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was being implemented by the NDA government at the GST Council meeting at New Delhi, the state stepped up its tirade by writing to Union finance minister Piyush Goyal against its “hasty” implementation.
In a letter to Goyal, Punjab finance minister Manpreet Badal said the law has many “aberrations” and needs corrections. “But the changes have to be made by involving all stakeholders not only within the Council (all state FMs are its members) but also those outside it, including taxpayers. It would avoid the need to go back to legislatures for frequent changes due to deficiencies in law which also cause inconvenience to businesses,” the letter read.
Manpreet also attached the letter written by chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on July 7 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which said the revenues haven’t shown the kind of buoyancy that was expected. “This is worrisome not only on the account of the impact it would have on precarious financial position of the (state) governments but also the restraint it would place on the government expenditure, including on social security,” the CM had said.
Manpreet told Goyal that the tax was being “rushed” to get some key amendments passed in the monsoon session of Parliament. “The process being adopted impinges on states’ rights. They should be able to respond after studying the recommendations of the Law Review Committee in detail,” the letter stated.
It also said the good work done by the law review committee is being ignored. “Out of 69 amendments proposed by the committee, only eight have been taken without changes, 15 with changes and rest ignored,” it says.