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Patna, August 16: After Assam, Nitish Kumar’s party in Bihar becomes second state to pass the GST (Goods and Services Tax) Constitutional Amendment Bill. On Monday Bihar government led by JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar had called for a Special Assembly session to discuss the Goods and Services Tax Bill. The Narendra Modi government is keen for more 13 states to ratify the Bill to enable a rollout of GST by 1 April 2017.
The GST Bill was introduced by Bijendra Prasad Yadav, Bihar’s State Minister for Commercial Tax in the Assembly. Few hours after the introduction the legislatures in Bihar unanimously voted in favour to pass the bill as soon as possible.
Last week, after the Centre had passed the GST Bill in both Upper and Lower Houses, Assam became the first state to ratify the amendment to introduce the tax reform act. (Also Read: GST to strengthen growth, make economy more predictable: Prime Minister Narendra Modi)
The GST Bill will only become effective after it is approved by half of the state legislatures. After which it will go to the President for his assent. The GST Bill is considered to be one of the biggest tax reforms in the country that seek to convert India into a single tax regime.
The long pending amendments to the GST Bill were cleared by the Lok Sabha unanimously on August 8. The Bill was first passed in 2015 in Lok Sabha, and the final nod was cleared in the Rajya Sabha last week. For more than a year the GST Bill was pending as opposition parties led by the Congress demanded certain changes in the bill.
According to reports, the Jharkhand Assembly is likely to ratify the bill on Tuesday, while Gujarat Assembly is all set to pass the Constitution Amendment Bill on GST during its two-day session beginning August 22.
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