Second day of 23rd GST Council meeting gets underway in Guwahati

Good and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting underway in Guwahati. (Photo: Twitter)


Second day of 23rd Good and Service Tax (GST) Council meeting began in Assam’s Guwahati on Friday. The council is headed by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, which has finance ministers of states as its members.

Nearly 100 days after GST was implemented nationwide, the meeting is scheduled to review the progress of the new tax regime.

The 23rd meeting of the GST Council will be deliberating on the impact on the small scale industry, exemption to small traders and issues related to maximum retail price (MRP).

Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma shared a post on Twitter and said, “Atithi Devobhava is the core of Assam’s culture and code of our people. We heartily welcome all the very esteemed guests!” and thanked Finance Minister Arun Jaitley for choosing Guwahati as the venue.

Earlier, Himanta Biswa Sarma had told mediapersons, that the meeting will be important as it will review the progress of the new tax regime three months after it was rolled out. It is a milestone meeting.

The reports of the three committees currently working on GST are also likely to be taken up at the meeting that will review the progress and impact of the GST at the completion of the first quarter, Biswa Sarma had informed the media.

The committees include rate fitment committee, GoM (group of ministers) headed by Sarma working on making the GST composition scheme more attractive besides the one working on the GST Network.

Meanwhile, former UPA Finance Minister P Chidambaram wrote on Twitter regarding the council meeting, saying that Congress Finance Ministers “will force changes in GST Council meeting today” added that “Govt avoided debate and voting in Rajya Sabha on GST Bills. Now, they cannot avoid a debate in public domain or in the GST Council.”

Earlier, Finance Ministers of 24 states had confirmed there attendance for the 23rd GST council meet..