Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley is optimistic that the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill can be passed in 2016, after the failed attempt in the previous two sessions of Parliament
"I hope that in the next session (of Parliament), the GST (Bill) will make headway," he said in New Delhi on Monday.
He said the Congress, which piloted the Bill, will be supportive of the legislation next year.
"After all, it was a Bill brought by them (the Congress). They have done a volte-face for political reasons, but they should not be doing it indefinitely," Jaitley said.
"I am in continuous touch with them and intend on continuing that. It is part of my job to continue to persuade them," PTI quoted him as saying.
The GST Bill, the most ambitious indirect tax reform since India's independence, is one that will ensure "economic integration" of India, Jaitley had earlier said.
The Bill, passed by the Lok Sabha, is stuck in the Rajya Sabha, where the ruling NDA does not have a majority and is dependent on the Congress and other Opposition parties.
The Bill became a victim of a bitter fight between the BJP and the Congress during the recently-concluded Winter session of Parliament over the National Herald case in which Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul have become involved. The Congress accused the BJP of indulging in political vendetta, a charge the saffron party was quick to refute.
