Thiruvananthapuram: Finance minister Dr T M Thomas Isaac said that the Commercial Sales Tax Department had already initiated big ticket changes in its basic infrastructure and IT management information systems as part of shifting to the GST regime. “Kerala would be the biggest gainer when GST comes into force,” the finance minister said while inaugurating the GST training programme for sales tax, central excise and customs, and CAG officials here on Monday. The five-day training is being jointly conducted by the Centre, National Academy of Customs Excise and Narcotics, and the state CST.
“The practical implementation of GST will be done after taking into confidence the trading community and opening a dialogue with management and finance experts," the finance minister said. "We have already begun the preliminary process of bringing everyone on board on GST implementation,” he added. During the second phase of the training, Isaac said the opinion of chartered accountants, company secretaries and tax practitioners will be taken.
Dr Isaac said the biggest concern while implementing GST was about the standard GST rate. "A rate will be decided upon in such a way that it will not stoke inflation and hurt the common man," the minsiter said. He said that extensive discusions were on to decide the maximum rate, now that GST would subsume all the taxes in the country.
