GST Day Live Updates: Centre Celebrates One-Year Of Tax-Reform

"I am confident that the best implementation of GST is yet to come": Arun Jaitley 

"Total tax base itself has increased significantly. These are the changes taking place on account of GST implementation. As tax collection goes up, capacity to rationalize rates will increase. I have no doubt in mind that the total basket of taxes, last 4 years have shown 1.5% increase. I was in Singapore last year, and they asked me why we have multiple slabs. I said, you are a city state. We can't afford to tax food like you. Therefore we have to keep vulnerable out of the tax system," Arun Jaitley said.

"Despite challenges, we had a direct tax increase of 18% last year. First quarter of this year shows personal income tax collection has increased 45%. Remarkable changes taking place with GST," Mr Jaitley said.  

"We had 27 meeting of council so far. It has become role model of governance. It is India's first federal decision making body and I made sure that all decisions were with a consensus": Arun Jaitley

"No reform of this magnitude is possible if the head of country is not with you. We had support of the PM," Mr Jaitley said.

"Today marks 1st anniversary of monumental economic reform. We had complicated, clumsy tax systems. Each state required a separate return. India had a fragmented market and it needed this system," Aryn Jaitley said.

"All of us here have helped us in making GST possible. It will have a positive impact in coming years and is an example of collaborative federalism," says Piyush Goyal.

Earlier people were unaware of the tax rates and cess. GST has changed that. Now they know what they are paying at different stages: Piyush Goyal

GST truly a people's tax, says Dharmendra Pradhan