Finance Minister Arun Jaitley On GST: Highlights

New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today spoke at an interactive session on 'GST in India' in Delhi.

Below are the highlights of his speech:

• We saw less than normal Monsoon for 2 years in a row.
• Nobody has the right to stop or stall the growth of India, it was an idea which was accepted by all political parties.
• Despite a global slowdown,we are perhaps only country in World amongst major economies,which is managing to maintain a respectable growth.
• India is managing a respectable growth rate in spite of global slowdown.
• In the coming year if we are able to implement GST, I've already committed to bringing the highest slab down.
• I realise that executive actions and Money Bills are more easily implementable than routine legislation, and when I say this I say it with a sense of responsibility.
• In the last session we were told - 'Well the mood is not to cooperate this time, we will see next time'.
• Even in this session the mood keeps changing.
• At this stage, Opposition has lip sympathy for GST but it ends with that.
• Intention is that India must not grow - the attitude is 'India did not grow when we were in power so we will not let India grow now'.
• If this continues we will have to find some other way.
• Even today, the Rajya Sabha numbers are in favor of GST.
• In April next year, the numbers will be more favorable.
• History will not only record the disrupters but also us if we allow the disruptions to happen.