After being subject to months of haggling and
histrionics, the goods & services tax GST finally had its historic day in
the rajya sabha with the passage of the bill to amend the constitution paving
the way for what is popularly referred to as the concept of one nation one tax.
Barring the AIADMK which staged a walkout on
the plea that it violated federalism all others, including congress voted for
the bill.
Led by the former finance minister P.
Chidambaram. The congress supported by members of some parties made a valiant
effort to extract an assurance from finance minister Arun jaitely that as and
when he would introduce the subsequent legislation to operationalize the GST it
would be as finance rather than money bills. This was to ensure that they would
also be voted in the rajya sabha.
