TN played vital role in GST framework

Tamil Nadu’s stakeholders (the corporate world and industry chambers included) have provided inputs to make it robust in every way. The stamp of TN is the industry voice. In many ways, right from the beginning, its emphasis was on giving importance to the production of local goods and services, opines Education Minister Pandiarajan. 

“Every one of our stances have been validated by the august presence of GST council, with 33 members unanimously accepting the proposals,” he said at a FICCI meet held recently here. The inter-state GST, when wrongly termed as integrated GST had evoked FICCI to question the idea as it felt that it was “re-concealing” it by this approach, Pandiarajan said, noting that despite diverse political ideologies, each one of the 248 clauses in the GST had been incorporated through consensus. 

“TN played an extremely important role be it the way registration should happen to the level of prosecution. We still have some distance to go but fitments will happen,” the Minister said, highlighting the need to consider branded and non-branded distinction and also the organised and unorganised sectors. 

After the Union Budget is tabled on February 1, 2017 the next phase of the ‘fitment battle’ will be launched. During the pre-budget period, typically most industries will huddle so that hush-hush deals could be inked by “wrangling out benefits.” But, noticeably, things have changed with the GST being considered in the most transparent manner. 

The Minister also sought to emphasise that periodical revisions could be made even after the GST is implemented as the effort is to iron out the difficulties faced by industry especially the small and medium enterprises that had huge competitive advantages. They are the “unsung clusters,” he said, citing many examples of such businesses in various parts of the state but contributing largely to the country’s GDP.