Bhubaneswar, June 30: Finance minister Sashi Bhusan Behera will represent the state at the launch ceremony of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the Parliament's Central Hall at midnight today.

"This is the biggest tax reform going to be launched in the country. After the initial hiccups, Odisha is likely to immensely benefit from it," Behera said.

While the BJD will attend the GST launching ceremony, many leaders such as Bengal chief minister and Trinamul Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee, CPI's D. Raja and CPM leader Sitaram Yechuri are skipping the programme.

Behera said: "It will simplify the tax reform process. Earlier, there were octroi tax, entry tax, entertainment tax and several other forms of taxes. Now all these taxes would be removed and a single form of tax is going to be launched."

Mentioning that the exercise to bring in a reform in the tax structure had been going on for the past 17 years, Behera said: "It was introduced in 2006 and the bill was later introduced in 2011. Now the exercise has reached its conclusion. It will help the country as well as the state."

The finance minister said: "Majority of items used by the common people have come under a limited tax structure. Out of the total items that have been brought under the tax structure, 81 per cent items have come under less than 18 per cent and the rest are above it."

Behera said: "We are hopeful that the consumers will be benefited. Those traders whose business is worth less than Rs 20 lakh would also be benefited from the GST. Earlier, there was a proposal to implement it last October. But it was delayed because the officials concerned had to be trained on how to implement the GST.

Allaying fears that it would adversely affect the common man, the minister said: " As many as 142 countries have already adopted a uniform tax structure with only one tax. Earlier, there was the inspector raj. There were chances of evading taxes and there was also exploitation. We are going to get rid of such things now."

Along with the finance minister, finance secretary T.K. Pandey is scheduled to attend the inaugural programme as well.

Girl kidnapped

A case has been lodged after a college girl was abducted in a car in Bhubaneswar.

The police lodged a kidnapping case after verifying CCTV footage.

The abducted girl was identified as a Plus Two student of a city college. According to reports, the girl was abducted from near Kali Temple in Satya Nagar in Kharavel police limits three days ago.