The Jammu and Kashmir Assembly today approved the amendments to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act that were recently passed by the GST Council.
The bill to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 (Act No. V of 2017) was moved by J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.
After the bill was introduced, the BJP MLA Pawan Gupta wanted to suggest some reforms. He said the bill had been brought forward as part of ongoing reforms. Referring to the GST law introduced in 2017, the legislator noted that several structural changes had been implemented over time.
Gupta was interrupted by the Chief Minister, who clarified that the Assembly had limited powers over the legislation, which is a federal act.
The Chief Minister said that any reforms to the GST framework must first be approved by the GST Council before being brought to the state assembly for ratification.
He pointed out that the member, who had earlier served as Minister of State for Finance, was well aware of the Act. “This is a federal Act. No change can be made in this Assembly. Any reforms in it have to be approved by the GST Council,” the Chief Minister said.
He added that the amendments being discussed had already been cleared by the Council. “What I am placing before the House has been approved by the GST Council. It has come here only for ratification,” he stated, urging members to approve and pass the bill accordingly.
Gupta responded that he was talking about reforms that are to be done by the state. “We are not challenging the Central Act,” he said. On this, the Speaker of the Assembly Abdul Rahim Rather said the Act cannot be amended at this stage and the bill should be passed
The bill was then passed through a voice vote by the Assembly.
