SrinagarSeveral legislators took part in the debate on GST Resolution moved by Minister for Finance, Labour & Employment, Dr Haseeb A Drabu in the Legislative Assembly today.
Initiating debate, the senior National Conference Member, Mohammad Shafi expressed apprehension over the lack of safeguards to the State Constitution. He sought to know how the State Government will cope with the special concessions to trade and industry under GST.
Mr. Shafi also blamed the Government for not developing the consensus among with all stakeholders despite holding All Party Meet and All Party Consultative Committee meetings.
Mr. Rigzin Jora said the Government should have adopted proper procedure and done more homework before coming to the House for discussion on this important and sensitive policy issue. He said the present GST will not benefit people and small traders and common man will suffer. He further said the government should not go for adopting GST in hurry and rather it must create conducive atmosphere and necessary infrastructure for its proper operation. He also suggested that the State should bring its own law to safeguard the J&Ks special status.
Mr R S Pathania while calling the implementation of GST a monumental model of cooperative federalism supported the GST Resolution in toto. He further said that the introduction of GST in the state will not pose any challenge to the special status and financial autonomy of the state; rather it will give further boost to it. He said if the GST is not implemented in the State immediately, it will lead to a complete chaos in the taxation system and procuring the goods from other parts of the country will be difficult.
Choudhary Qamar Hussain complimented the Government for the proposed Resolution on GST and said the state legislature is fully empowered to adopt it and there will be no implications for the special status and financial autonomy of the state. He said the new tax regime is beneficial for everyone, including traders and common men, and delaying its adoption will be great injustice to the people. He said implementation of GST is the demand of the present time and must be adopted for the betterment of people as well as state.
Devinder Singh Rana while taking part in the discussion said that Members should support the GST as per their conscience as it is a very delicate issue related to the States special status. He said though National Conference is not against this important law, but the Government must ensure complete safeguards of the States constitution and interests of people in general and traders in particular. He also referred to the recommendations of various expert Committees held in past and sought to take these valuable inputs into consideration.
Mr. G.M. Saroori described the Resolution as anti-people and anti-traders which will hamper the States economy and common man will suffer with the implementation of GST. He said the Government must take all stakeholders on board and incorporate their valuable suggestions in the new regime before its implementation. He suggested bringing States own legislation on GST.
While participating in the debate, Hakeem Mohammad Yaseen said the government must keep adequate safeguards before going for GST so that states special status remains intact. He also urged the Members for healthy discussion in the House on this important issue and contributing with their valuable suggestions to ensure proper safeguards for every section of the society and Constitution.
Legislator Ravinder Raina while complimenting the Finance Minister for his efforts to bring about an era of said that Dr Drabus contribution in this process is noteworthy. He said GST is a tax which benefits consumers, traders and economy of the state in big way. He emphasized for a constructive debate centering on the pros and cons rather than diverting the debate by bringing up Article 370 which he said is non-negotiable.
He said some vested interests have tried to give a notion that the new tax regime is endangering the States special position, which is totally incorrect. He said that this tax regime would be instrumental in preventing tax theft and plugging in the leakages so that the taxes directly reach the government exchequer. He also paid tributes to the security personnel martyred while performing their duties in the State.
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