The Assam Assembly unanimously passed the Constitution Amendment Bill on GST on Friday, becoming the first state to ratify the crucial tax reform legislation.
“I declare the Bill, which was passed by both Houses of Parliament, to be ratified unanimously by the Assam Assembly,” Speaker Ranjeet Kumar Dass announced in the House.
Though the opposition Congress and AIUDF MLAs supported the Bill, they had earlier sought a discussion in the Assembly to evaluate GST’s impact on Assam and its people. But they were turned down by the Speaker.
The GST Bill, seen as the single biggest tax reform in a long time, needs to be ratified by at least 15 State legislatures before the President can notify the GST Council, which will decide the new tax rate and other issues.