Target for GST rollout is April 1, 2017: Revenue Secretary

A day after the unanimous passage of the Goods and Services Tax bill by the Rajya Sabha, Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia on Thursday said April 1, 2017 will be the target date for the roll-out of this pan-India indirect tax regime.

Making a presentation before the media here, Adhia said the government hoped that all the required bills connected with the GST roll-out will be taken up for passage during the winter session of parliament.

"By December 2016, all the back-end and front-end IT systems required for GST are expected to be ready, followed by testing," the revenue secretary said, adding that some 60,000 officers will be trained pan-India, even as wide outreach programme will be launched for trade and industry.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, who had called the press conference, said once the GST rolls out, doing business in India will be easier and help a large body of traders and citizens. "There was a public anxiety, almost an exasperation, over the delay," he said. "That's now over," he added.

"One of the most significant aspects is that the GST bill was passed with unanimity."