Goods and services tax a matter of time: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley

New Delhi

: Finance Minister Arun Jaitley expressed confidence on Wednesday that he would be able to pass a new goods and services tax (GST), saying opposition to the reform would crumble when it comes to a parliamentary vote.

-"GST is only a question of time,-" Jaitley told an economic conference in New Delhi.

The opposition Congress party and its allies have been able to block the measure because Prime Minister Narendra Modi's nationalist coalition lacks a majority in the upper house of parliament.

The upper house, which represents India's federal states, will be reshuffled next spring to reflect election gains by Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party - although it will still be short of a majority.

Still, Jaitley said that -"tilt-" in the makeup of the upper house would make it easier to pass the GST. The tax would create a single market in India for the first time and could boost the economy by as much as 2 percent, economists reckon.

-"When it is put to a vote, I am sure it would pass,-" Jaitley told the event, organised by the World Economic Forum.