Impasse in GST Council continues on assessee jurisdiction

New Delhi, Nov 20 : An informal meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council here on Sunday remained stalled on the issue of dual control, or cross-empowerment, on who will exercise control over GST assessees — the Centre or the states. “The meeting has remained incomplete. Discussions will continue on November 25,” Union Fince Minister Arun Jaitley, who chairs the GST Council, told reporters after an over three-hour-long meeting here with state Fince Ministers. Under the new pan-India indirect tax regime proposed by GST, states want the right to control all assessees with up to Rs 1.5 crore annual turnover. At its previous meeting here earlier this month, the GST Council decided on a four-slab tax rate, but the meeting could not arrive at a decision on the issue of dual control.

Following the Sunday meeting, Jaitley said that it was decided that officials will meet again tomorrow before the next meeting of the Council on November 25. The government has targeted implementing the GST from April 1, 2017. GST is a single indirect tax that proposes to subsume most central and state taxes, like the value added tax, service tax, central sales tax, excise duty, additiol customs duty and special additiol customs duty. (IANS)