SME Times News Bureau | 20 Jul, 2018
The
Indian growth story continues to be intact with the GDP expected to
grow around 7.5% in the current financial year and improve further in
the coming years, said
industry body FICCI on Thursday.
The
slowing down of the industrial output growth in May (3.2%) and the
inching up of the retail inflation in June to 5% are short-term
challenges which are being pro-actively acted on by the
government and the RBI, and these should not be seen in any
way as hurting the signs of revival in the economy
significantly, it said.
"While
the industrial output growth is expected to rebound in the next few
months; the rise in inflation is being watched by the RBI closely,
and the apex bank and the government will certainly take necessary
measures to keep it at the manageable levels," said Rashesh
Shah, President, FICCI.
"The
Goods and Services Tax (GST) will play the role of a catalyst in
this. While the GST collection trends clearly indicate towards a
positive sentiment in the economy, the national integrated indirect
tax structure will also bring down inflation, going ahead," said
Mr. Shah.
With
the GST Council and the Central Government open to taking measures
for rationalising the GST rate structure, bringing in the excluded
items in the GST ambit, and also simplifying the tax administration,
the GST is all set to boost the GDP growth further, added Mr. Shah.
"Equally
important is the fact that GST has shown that industry, and the
country on the whole, is ready for adopting big-bang reforms",
he said, adding, "there is no doubt now that larger economic
reforms involving both the Centre and the States are here to stay," said Shah.
Along
with this, the reform measures like IBC and RERA, which have already
started yielding good results, will help in strengthening the revival
of animal spirits and take the GDP growth beyond 8%, added Shah.