No pressure on states to impose VAT

Finance Minister Jaswant Singh on Tuesday said there was no pressure from the Centre on states to impose value added tax and it was entirely up to them to take a decision on it.

Singh told this to a five-member committee of senior BJP leaders constituted

to go into the issue of VAT, BJP spokesman V K Malhotra told reporters in New Delhi.

He said the members were informed by the finance minister that VAT was a state subject and whatever assistance they wanted, the Centre was prepared to extend them.