Bihar on Tuesday became the second state to ratify the Goods and Services Tax Constitution Amendment Bill. The state convened a special Assembly session to pass the tax, reported PTI. The Bill was cleared in the Rajya Sabha on August 3 and its amendments passed in the Lok Sabha on August 8. Assam became the first state to ratify the Bill last week.
The Narendra Modi government needs at least 15 states in the country to approve the Bill for it to move to the next step in the process, which is implementation of the single national tax regime across the nation. Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) had earlier expressed its support for the uniform tax, and Bihar was one of the first states to support the Bill. The Arvind Kejriwal-led government in Delhi is also expected to pass the Bill this week.
Of the 29 states in the country, the Bharatiya Janata Party is in power in 11 states, either with a majority or through an alliance with regional parties.
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