Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and chief ministers of at least a dozen states are likely to attend the GST Council meeting in Kolkata, proposed to be held on July 16-17. CM Suvendu Adhikari, state finance minister Swapan Dasgupta, other ministers and top bureaucrats will also attend what will be the first GST Council meeting in the city since the GST rollout in 2017.
While GST Council meetings have usually been held in Delhi, there have been occasions when they were hosted outside the capital. The Council has met twice in Jammu & Kashmir. Meetings have also been held in Assam, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana. “This has never happened in Bengal. It is a very special occasion in that way,” said official sources.
The meeting — the first major constitutional body meeting since the assembly polls in the state — is expected to take up discussions on the next round of indirect tax reforms. Sources said Bengal will also look to use the event to project itself as an investment destination.
The projected revenue from state GST this fiscal is Rs 61,535 crore, while the state’s share of central GST is pegged at Rs 30,117 crore. Last fiscal, the state’s SGST revenue was Rs 53,829 crore, while its share of CGST was Rs 31,328 crore.
On Sunday, state finance minister Swapan Dasgupta said Bengal govt would place the state’s concerns, suggestions and fiscal condition before the GST Council. He added that other states are now ready to cooperate with Bengal as it pushes ahead.
“We will be able to put forward Bengal’s concerns, suggestions and the fiscal condition of the state govt before the Union finance minister,” Dasgupta said.
Source from: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/union-finance-minister-cms-of-dozen-states-to-attend-kols-1st-gst-council-meet-on-july-16-17/articleshowprint/132072475.cms
