The Centre has scheduled a mega rehearsal of the Goods and Services Tax rollout rehearsal on Wednesday night before its official launch on June 30, PTI reported. The event will be held at the Parliament’s Central Hall. Officials said it was an attempt to ensure a smooth launch.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said the Narendra Modi-led government will stick to its plans to roll out the Good and Services Tax on July 1 despite requests for a deferment from several quarters.

GST is expected to bring about a uniform system of indirect taxation and will replace various taxes levied by the central and state governments as well as local authorities. The GST will be collected on everything, from matchboxes to gold.

Only electricity, real estate and alcohol will be exempt from the GST. Petroleum products will be present in both the old and new systems and have a zero-rate GST.

All states and seven Union territories, except Jammu & Kashmir, had agreed to give up their rights to impose sales tax on goods, while the Centre surrendered its right to impose excise and services taxes. With the introduction of GST, they will each receive a share of the GST collected nationally.