Goa government has decided to convene a special Assembly Session to discuss the GST rate, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said. “We have to call an Assembly Session to discuss the likely GST rates. It will be a one-day session. I am waiting for the Centre to finish their business over the GST,” Parsekar told reporters on Thursday. He said if not for GST, the session will have to be called to pass financial business like supplementary demands for grants and appropriation bill.

“I am not in a hurry to convene the session. We can call it even next month in December,” the Chief Minister said.

A four-tier GST tax structure of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent that aims to lower tax incidence on most goods and keep out essential items was decided by a high-powered council in Delhi on Thursday, a major breakthrough for rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime from April 1 next year.

Responding to a query on the demand for special status for Goa, Parsekar said state government will not raise the issue before Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Goa on November 13, when he will come to lay the foundation stone of Mopa airport.

“BJP has a special focus on Goa. Although the state did not ask for it, we were given an opportunity to host the BRICS summit,” Parsekar said.

He also pointed out that Goa was given special attention when Modi chose Manohar Parrikar as the Defence Minister.

When pointed out that the special status was for protection of culture and identity, Parsekar said, “BJP will not allow even a scratch on culture and identity of the state.”