Thomas IsaacThiruvananthapuram: Kerala finance minister T M Thomas Isaac on Thursday expressed regret that the GST Bill could not be passed in the present Assembly session.
Isaac said the state government would soon take a decision on whether to call a special session or promulgate an ordinance to pass the crucial bill.
During the question hour, Congress legislator V D Satheesan asked why the government failed to pass the bill in the current session even when it had admitted that the GST was a major initiative.
"I regret that we could not bring the GST Bill in the floor of the House in this session and pass it after discussion.. The next cabinet meeting will look into all aspects of the matter," he said.
Isaac, a renowned economist, also said the GST would not make any remarkable revenue gains in Kerala, as expected before.
The state had already asked the Center to put lottery in the 28 percent tax bracket, Isaac said, adding that as many as 1,517 staff of the state Finance Department had been given training in connection with the GST.
Finance Bill 2017-18
Kerala assembly passed the Finance Bill for the year 2017-18 on Thursday and adjourned sine die.
The house also passed a resolution urging the Center to clear the arrears due to the state on account of rural employment guarantee scheme to the tune of Rs 683.39 crore.
The resolution moved by state minister for local self-government, K T Jaleel pointed out that the Center had already released necessary funds under the scheme for other states.
Participating in the finance bill debate, state finance minister T M Thomas Isaac said the bill has been passed without any new taxes.
