With this, 50 per cent of States have passed the Bill, paving way for the presidential assent, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said.

The Goa Legislative Assembly on Wednesday unanimously passed a resolution ratifying the amendments to the Constitution to pave way for the presidential assent to the Goods and Services (GST) Bill, 2016.

Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said that Goa is the 15th State Assembly to ratify the Bill. With this, 50 per cent of States have passed the Bill paving way for the presidential assent, he said.

The resolution ratifying the Bill was passed at a specially convened one-day session after a two-hour long discussion, where legislators raised concerns over the possible revenue-loss the State could face, in view of that fact that it is primarily a service-oriented State and not a manufacturing destination.
Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar, however, sought to allay apprehensions saying that Goa, being a consumption destination, will benefit from the GST.
“With the ease of doing business improving considerably due to a taxation reforms like the GST, businesses will expand and our growth rate will grow. Our share in central taxes will grow and we will get 50 per cent of service tax and other central taxes. Goa will largely benefit as cheaper services will bring in more tourists,” Mr. Parsekar said, adding that the State’s revenue could go up by around Rs.1,000 crore.

Earlier, Opposition MLAs, while supporting the resolution of amendment, raised concerns that State’s reliance on the Centre may increase and also feared that Goa’s revenue may decline.
Demanding a white-paper on cost-benefit analysis of the GST, independent MLA Rohan Khavte asked, “Our dependency on the Centre will increase. Has the government taken all these into consideration?”

Allaying the fears of revenue decline, Mr. Parsekar assured the members that the State will retain control of tax on petroleum products, excise on alcohol, besides major taxes like vehicle tax, royalty on minerals and stamp duty — the major revenue earners of the State.