File photoHOURS BEFORE the special West Bengal Assembly session was to begin earlier this week, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee instructed her government to put the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Constitutional Amendment Bill on the back burner “until further notice”. With negotiations slated to begin on crucial matters, including the GST rate, the Trinamool is likely to play hardball to ensure that its demands are met. A senior state finance ministry official said, “Trinamool has always been for the GST. After her victory (in Assembly polls earlier this year), Mamata Banerjee had said that in spite of the ideological differences with the BJP, she would support the Bill. “They had come with the intention of integrating the state treasury with the Public Fund Management System (PFMS).

Source: Indian Express September 02, 2016 00:28 UTC