From its first official mention in 2009 when a discussion paper was introduced by the previous United Progressive Alliance government to the point when the current Modi government tabled the Constitution Amendment Bill in Parliament, building consensus on the GST hasn’t been easy.

The most prominent hurdle in introducing this new tax structure has been the struggle between the states and the Centre on the loss of revenue. It’s taken years to resolve, but even now it is an issue that isn’t completely fixed.

Nonetheless, the introduction of the Constitution Amendment Bill in Parliament seems like the first key step towards bringing in the belated GST reform.