Sep 14 (DHNS): Although a special session for the passage of Goods and Services Tax (GST) was called off, the Centre has not yet given up hopes on the implementation of this key legislation on indirect taxes from the next fiscal starting April 1, 2016.

To take the task forward, the Centre has called a meeting of the Empowered Committee of state finance ministers on Tuesday. The panel will discuss the model draft legislations for implementation of GST.

The government has already spoken in favour of advancing the Winter session of Parliament. It is now contemplating calling the session before the start of the Winter session in states. This will pave the way for the states to ratified GST and the Centre is ready for its implementation from the start of the new financial year.

Sources in the government are of the opinion that the Winter session can be called immediately after the Bihar Assembly elections to get the GST through and send it to states, most of which begin their sessions in late November or early December.

Before that, the meeting of Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers has been called on Tuesday in Delhi to discuss the nitty grittiest of Central GST, State GST and Integrated GST. States will approve the states will have to approve the SGST and IGST legislations before its is adopted by the Centre and implemented as an integrated tax structure.