GST: Managing the last mile
'Mint' compiles a checklist of key people who steered the goods and services tax (GST) bill and the road ahead for meeting the implementation date
The goods and services tax (GST) has been in the making for the last 10 years. But managing the last mile has been the most difficult task, even though fundamentally, no one is opposed to the idea of a GST. Mint compiles a checklist of the key people who steered the bill and the road ahead for meeting the 1 April 2017 implementation date.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
Modi took leadership on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) issue and backed his finance minister in the negotiations with opposition parties. The Prime Minister also reached out to opposition leaders including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Tamil Nadu chief minister J. Jayalalithaa and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar to build consensus.
Union finance minister Arun Jaitley
The main strategist for the government, Jaitley’s single biggest task was to push crucial economic legislation in Parliament, knowing well that the government is in a minority in the Rajya Sabha. He successfully managed to divide the opposition parties along Congress and non-Congress lines.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi
Gandhi overcame her initial scepticism and gave the final go-ahead to her party members to support the GST Bill. The key interlocutors were regularly briefing her on developments. She also led the talks by accepting Modi’s invite last year to discuss the GST Bill.
Ghulam Nabi Azad, leader of the opposition, Rajya Sabha
One of the senior-most Congress parliamentarians, Azad led the negotiations with the government. He acted as the voice of the Gandhis during the talks. He not only balanced talks with the government but also handled contradictory views on GST within the party, especially among Lok Sabha members.
P. Chidambaram, former Union finance minister
Away from Parliament for nearly two years, Chidambaram was made Congress’ nominee to Rajya Sabha from Maharashtra in May and soon after was included in the negotiations with the government on GST. Being a former Union finance minister, who had worked closely on the initial versions of the bill, Chidambaram’s views on the subject are acknowledged within the party as well as by the government.
Anand Sharma, deputy leader of Congress, Rajya Sabha
Sharma, one of the most vocal members of the Congress in the Upper House, was the constant go-to person for the government who could be reached for consultations and also to gauge the mood of the opposition. A key part of the negotiating team, Sharma, a former commerce minister, is known to have cordial relations with members of the government.
Ananth Kumar, parliamentary affairs minister
Kumar took charge of his ministry in July, after two years that saw the government and opposition clashing before every Parliament session. His task was to ensure not only the smooth passage of bills but also ensure that there was no tussle with the opposition, especially in the Rajya Sabha.
Amit Mitra, finance minister of West Bengal
Appointed as the chairman of the empowered committee of state finance ministers in February, Mitra successfully managed to unite the states and led the negotiations with the central government.
Hasmukh Adhia, revenue secretary
After taking charge last year, Adhia led many rounds of negotiations with states. Adhia also had the advantage of being closely involved with GST negotiations as additional chief secretary, finance, in the Gujarat government even before he was appointed as the revenue secretary at the centre.
Arvind Subramanian, chief economic adviser
Subramanian’s report on the revenue-neutral rate is the basis on which the centre and the states are negotiating the tax rates under GST.
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