12:13 AM IST
GST Launch: GST a tribute to maturity, wisdom of India’s democracy: President
12:07 AM IST
GST Launch: Goods and Services Tax formally launched as the Parliament function ends with the National Anthem. Taxes like VAT, central excise tax etc no longer valid.
12:00 AM IST
GST Launch: “GST is a disruptive change, like VAT. There are bound to be some teething troubles. You will have to solve these.”
11:53 PM IST
GST Launch: “It is a moment of some satisfaction for me personally as I was involved in the whole process as Finance Minister in 2011,” says President Pranab Mukherjee.
11:52 PM IST
GST launch: “It is a culmination of a 14-year-old journey that began in 2002. The proposal of GST came in 2002,” says President Pranab Mukherjee.
11:50 PM IST
GST launch: President Pranab Mukherjee begins his speech.
11:48 PM IST
GST launch: “GST is not just a tax reform, but a social reform. The law calls it Goods and Services Tax, but it is Good and Simple Tax,” says Narendra Modi.
11:44 PM IST
GST launch: “It’s time to stop rumours and look forward to a bright future of our country,” says PM Narendra Modi.
11:43 PM IST
GST launch: “I wonder what Einstein would have felt about 17 taxes when he found income tax confusing,” PM Modi says.
11:40 PM IST
GST launch: “GST is not limited to technical economic terms. In simple words, this is a great step towards the welfare of the poor of our country,” says PM Narendra Modi.
11:32 PM IST
GST launch: PM Narendra Modi quotes Chanakya. “No matter how far a destination is, how difficult it is to reach, it can be achieved through grit and determination,” he says.
11:29 PM IST
GST launch: “GST is a result of a long struggle, a long thought process. The best brains of the country have worked on GST for years together. Parliamentarians have debated it for years,” says PM Narendra Modi.
11:24 PM IST
GST Launch: “This is not the success of any one government. This is the result of our collective efforts,” says Narendra Modi.
11:24 PM IST
GST Launch: “This is not the success of any one government. This is the result of our collective efforts,” says Narendra Modi.
11:22 PM IST
GST Launch: “Today at midnight, we will together ensure the development, the future of our country. In some time, the country will move towards a new regime. Indians are witness to history,” says PM Narendra Modi.
11:19 PM IST
GST launch: FM Arun Jaitley welcomes PM Narendra Modi on the dais to speak.
11:18 PM IST
GST Launch: “GST will help control inflation, the GDP of the country will benefit, states will get a way of helping the poor,” says Arun Jaitley.
11:14 PM IST
GST Launch: The old India was fragmented, the new India will have one tax for one nation, says FM Arun Jaitley at Central Hall in Parliament
11:12 PM IST
GST launch: FM Arun Jaitley looks back at the journey and struggle of making GST a reality in India
11:08 PM IST
GST Launch: “It will be an India where the Centre and States work in coordination,” says Arun Jaitley.
11:07 PM IST
GST launch: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley begins his address in the Central Hall of Parliament. “We are in the process of making history with the launch of GST,” says Arun Jaitley.
11:05 PM IST
GST launch: The event has begun with the national anthem Jana Gana Mana and chants of Bharat Mata Ki Jai
11:03 PM IST
GST Launch: PM Modi, President Mukherjee, FM Jaitley now moving towards the Central Hall of Parliament.
11:00 PM IST
GST launch: President Pranab Mukherjee arrives for the launch of Goods and Services Tax in Parliament. The event is now set to begin any time.
New Delhi/Nagpur: The much-awaited Goods and Services Tax will be rolled out on Friday at midnight in the Central Hall in Parliament.
Besides President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other politicians, eminent businessmen, RBI governor Urjit Patel and former governors will also be attending the event.
From July 1, four tax slabs – 5 per cent, 12 per cent, 18 per cent and 28 per cent – will be applicable on services including telecoms, insurance, hotels, and restaurants.
