More than 60% of India Inc feels July 1 GST rollout unrealistic: Poll

As the government prepares for a smooth rollout of the Goods and Services Tax on July 1, captains of India Inc feel the industry lags in GST readiness.

According to a poll conducted by CNBC-TV18, only 19 percent of India Inc is more than 80 percent ready for a July 1 GST-rollout. Over 45 percent of the industry feels it is 50-80 percent ready for the unified tax regime.

Interestingly, about 62.5 percent feel that the July 1 roll out isn’t realistic given the government’s preparedness. The government has repeatedly been saying that it is ready to implement the game-changing tax reform from July 1.

Over 42 percent feel that GST rollout should be deferred by two-months, while 31.2 percent feel the government should go ahead with the schedule.

Firmly asserting the need to roll out GST on July 1, M&M’s chief Pawan Goenka told CNBC-TV18 that “Thirty days is a lot of time”. Even after the June 3 GST Council meeting, the government still has 27 days to power through the reform. One can expect chaos and confusion initially, but with time chinks can be sorted out, he added.

Meanwhile, nearly 27 percent of India Inc expects operational and financial losses due to GST, while 45 percent expects pricing to be marginally impacted.