GST implementation in less than a month’s time now but SGST Bill yet to be passed in 7 states

New Delhi, June 6 (KNN) The Goods & Services Tax (GST) is to be implemented from July 1, 2017, but as many as seven states are yet to pass the State GST Act.

So far 24 states have passed the SGST Act and the seven states that haven’t include - Meghalaya, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Jammu & Kashmir and West Bengal have yet to pass the SGST Act. 

Except for Jammu & Kashmir where BJP is in alliance, all other states are non-BJP ruled states.

GST, once implemented, will subsume 16 different taxes.

Meanwhile, West Bengal wants the Centre to delay roll out of the GST by a month.

West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra at the meeting of the GST Council last week had said that implementation of the GST from July 1 will have "serious problems" as the IT infrastructure required to manage GST's returns and invoice uploading are not in place".

So far, GSTN has been able to do test drive on 200-300 companies in each state. Forms and rules have been changed in May.

As per the GST Constitutional amendment, all states have to pass SGST bills by September 15, 2017, failing which they will lose their taxation powers.