Be Flexible, States Tell Center

The empowered committee of state finance ministers has appealed for more flexibility from the Center to ensure timely implementation of GST. "The central government will have to be flexible and address all concerns of state governments," Sushil Modi told reporters after the meeting of state finance ministers here.

The Center proposes to introduce GST by April 1, 2012, two years behind schedule as there were differences over its structure and implementation.

"I am optimistic that if the way things are going, and if everybody cooperates, then we can catch the timeline also," Modi said.

Modi, who was last month elected new chairman of the panel, said it had decided to ask for compensation for the loss on account of phasing out of central sales tax for 2010-11 and 2011-12 fiscal.