Govt can exceed growth target with less political obstructions, says Jaitley

Detailing the initiatives proposed in his Budget for 2016-17, Jaitley said the goods and services tax (GST) Bill and the bankruptcy law are pending in Parliament and the government will pursue them.

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Finance Minister Arun Jaitley

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Wednesday exuded confidence that the growth rate in the next fiscal could exceed 7-7.75 per cent if there is less political obstructionism and the government is allowed to push through important Bills like GST and the bankruptcy law.

“With all the steps we have taken (in the Budget) and hopefully if the next financial year is politically not as obstructive as the last one (and) we are able to push through many more reforms, I am sure we will beat the target that Arvind (Subramanian) has set in the Economic Survey,” he said.

The minister was speaking during a post-Budget interaction with captains of the Indian industry.

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Chief Economic Advisor Arvind Subramanian, in the Economic Survey, projected a growth rate of 7-7.75 per cent for the next financial year, which some experts described as “modest”.

The economic growth rate for 2015-16 has been estimated at 7.6 per cent, the highest in the last five years.

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Detailing the initiatives proposed in his Budget for 2016-17, Jaitley said the goods and services tax (GST) Bill and the bankruptcy law are pending in Parliament and the government will pursue them.

The Constitution Amendment Bill to roll out GST, dubbed as the biggest indirect tax reform since 1947, is pending in the Rajya Sabha because of stiff opposition by the Congress. GST will subsume central excise, state VAT, entertainment tax, octroi, entry tax, luxury tax and purchase tax on goods and services and will bring about a uniform indirect tax regime throughout the country.

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The government last year introduced the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2015, in Parliament. The Bill will make it easier for companies to wind up unviable businesses and also improve ease of doing business.