GST: Maharashtra Assembly special session begins from May 20

Ahead of the 1 July national roll out of the much-awaited Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Maharashtra legislature would be holding a special session from May 20 to 22 in Mumbai. Spread over three days from Saturday to Monday, this is perhaps for the first time that the legislature session would be held on a Sunday.

In the weekly Cabinet meeting presided over by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis last week, the government cleared the Maharashtra GST Bill after hectic consultations between finance and planning minister Sudhir Mungantiwar and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray  and it has been ensured that the financial autonomy of local-self governments would be protected. 

In fact, the financial autonomy of the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which is ruled by Shiv Sena and is a major prestige issue for the Balasaheb Thackeray-founded saffron party was an issue, however, it has been sorted out.

BMC may lose Rs 6,000 to 7,000 crore because of octroi getting off the new system, however, the government has decided to compensate the local bodies and protect their independent sources of revenue. 

During a special session in August 2016, the Maharashtra legislature had ratified the GST Constitutional Amendment Bill. On 6 April, the Parliament passed four GST bills which now have to be cleared by all states. 

In the 288-member Maharashtra legislative assembly, the BJP has 122 members while Shiv Sena 63. As far as the main opposition parties are concerned, Congress has 42 and NCP 41. The support of the Shiv Sena is essential for the passage of the bills. 

After the Maharashtra State GST comes into force, the sugarcane purchase tax, Central Sales tax, entry tax on vehicles, entry tax on goods, lottery tax, forest produce tax, betting tax, octroi and local bodies tax will be scrapped.