'J&K not to implement GST unless stakeholders are consulted'

The Jammu and Kashmir government has said it will not implement the Goods and Services Tax(GST) in the state unless consulting the stakeholders, including the traders community. 

"The proposed Goods and Service Tax (GST) will not be implemented in the state unless traders' community and other stake holders are consulted about its pros and cons," state's Finance Minister Abdul Rahim Rather said here yesterday. 

Speaking during a meeting with Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation and Kashmir Traders United Front, he said though final decision about the implementation of the GST regime has not been taken by the Centre as yet, the traders fraternity of the state shall have to be ready for its adoption, for which the state government will organise awareness programmes. 

The meeting was convened for threadbare discussions on the problems of the trading fraternity and to get their suggestions for making the tax collection system more trader friendly and viable. 

Rather asked the senior officers of the Commercial Taxes Department to make the Tax Collection system more trader- friendly so that genuine tax payers are not put to any unnecessary harassment. 

He asked the officers and employees of the Department to improve their public relations with the traders saying that "honour and respect of the genuine traders is my priority". 

He suggested making good public relations of the officers and employees of the Department as one of the bench marks of their Annual Performance Reports (APRs). 

Responding to the demands of the traders, the Minister said government is in favour of abolishing CST. "More trader friendly initiatives are underway for the convenience of the traders and other tax payers," he added. (Economic Times)