CAIT wants PM Narendra Modi to hold special session for GST Bill

NEW DELHI: The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) has called upon the Prime Minister to convene a special session of Parliament soon to pass the deadlocked GST Bill and has asked parties not to play a "political innings" on the issue.

The traders' body made the plea at a conference held in Odisha last week.

"More than 150 trade leaders of 24 states at a traders conference in Odisha in a unanimous voice has urged the political parties not to play political innings on GST," CAIT said in a statement.

It felt that implementation of GST would lead to ease in doing business and abolish "the colonial working" of the tax administration system.

With GST, the trading community will also get rid of multiple taxes and authorities, potentially reducing the load of paper compliance, it added.

"It is high time a consensus was evolved among political parties to ensure safe and smooth passage of this economic reform," it said.

Indirect tax reform GST proposes to create a uniform tax rate across the country by subsuming excise, service tax and other local levies. This is estimated to boost India's GDP by 1-2 per cent.

The government has proposed to introduce the new structure from April 1, 2016.