Amit Mitra asks Centre to take decisions at GST council by consensus

In a two-page letter to Sitharaman, the Principal Chief Adviser to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Finance Department, Dr Amit Mitra, cited a recent judgment of the Supreme Court in this regard

Amit Mitra
Principal Chief Adviser to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Amit Mitra | File photo
Press Trust of India Kolkata
2 min read Last Updated : Jun 28 2022 | 5:53 PM IST

The West Bengal government on Tuesday wrote to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asking her to take decisions at the ongoing GST Council meeting by consensus, shunning "majoritarianism".

In a two-page letter to Sitharaman, the Principal Chief Adviser to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Finance Department, Dr Amit Mitra, cited a recent judgment of the Supreme Court in this regard.

"Post decision of the SC, it has become imperative for the GST council to take every decision by consensus and to leave aside any shade of majoritarianism, not only for the future credibility of GST council but also to uphold the rich tradition of this august body," the former finance minister of the state said.

The Supreme Court on May 19 ruled that the Goods and Service Tax (GST) council's recommendations are not binding on Union and State but have a persuasive value as the country has a cooperative federal structure.

A bench of Justices DY Chandrachud, Surya Kant, and Vikram Nath also held that the Centre and State governments have simultaneous powers to legislate on GST but the council must work in a harmonious manner to achieve a workable solution.

Mitra said in the letter, "On the backdrop of this extremely significant observation of the honourable apex court, it has become extremely important for the GST council to invariably arrive at a consensus for taking any decision."

The two-day GST Council's 47th meeting is underway in Chandigarh to take a call on several key recommendations by ministerial committees aimed at making the tax system more efficient.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Quarterly Starter

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

Save 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :Nirmala SitharamanMamata BanerjeeAmit MitraGST CouncilWest BengalSupreme Court

First Published: Jun 28 2022 | 5:53 PM IST

Next Story