SINGAPORE: An Indian team, headed by West Bengal Finance Minister Asim K. Dasgupta, on Tuesday concluded ``very fruitful and professional discussions'' with Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Second Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam on issues related to goods and services tax (GST).

The discussions centred on India's move to introduce GST from fiscal 2010-11. The Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers, mandated to fashion a ``road map'' for this purpose, had visited Australia. The panel will also visit Brazil and Canada.

Dr. Dasgupta said the exercise was to evolve India's own ``unique'' GST model by ``learning from the best practices'' in other countries.

The discussions with the Singapore leaders revealed ``a good deal of convergence'' of ideas and also the ``distinctive features'' such as the City-State's ``trade-friendly and services-friendly'' GST dispensation. India's Acting High Commissioner in Singapore Rajesh Sachdeva, and First Secretary C. Rajendiran assisted the delegation.

Mr. Dasgupta noted that ``although 150 countries had opted for value added tax, only about 30 had opted for GST."

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