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The GST Council, which held its 23rd meeting in Guwahati on November 10 reduced the tax rate on 178 items from 28 per cent to 18 per cent. GST Council also brought all AC and non-AC restaurants in the 5 per cent GST bracket without the input tax credit (ITC). Only 50 items, mostly demerit, sin and luxury goods will be in the 28 per cent tax bracket.
All members of the GST Council felt that input tax credit (ITC) to restaurants is not passed on customers. Goods and Service Tax (GST) was being charged on existing rates which put additional tax burden on restaurant goers. Thus, we decided that restaurant industry will not get the benefit of ITC, Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley said.
Rates for all AC and non-AC restaurants will be 5 per cent. “Since they did not pass on the ITC benefit to customers, they will not be eligible for the benefit themselves,” Shri Jaitley added. Restaurants in hotels will cost the same, except in starred hotels which charge Rs 7,500 or more. The rate for restaurants in starred hotel will remain 18 per cent. Outdoor catering will be taxed at 18 per cent along with ITC, the Finance Minister added.
Taxpayers with turnover up to Rs 1 crore will have to file invoices once every quarter, whereas those with turnover above Rs 1 crore will have to file their invoices every month, Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia said in a press conference after the GST Council meet.
Finance Secretary Hasmukh Adhia said that tax payers with zero tax liability will now have it much easier. The GST Council has decided in today’s meeting that filing of return for GSTR-3B will continue till march 2018. All taxpayers will have to file only GSTR-1 in the current year.
Annual turnover eligibility for composition scheme will be increased to Rs 2 crore from the present limit of Rupees 1 crore under the law. Thereafter, eligibility for composition will be increased to Rs 1.5 Crore per annum, the Finance Ministry said in a release.
There will be a uniform rate of tax at 1 per cent under composition scheme for manufacturers and traders and no change for composition scheme for restaurant, the release added. Also, supply of services by composition taxpayer upto Rs 5 lakh per annum will be allowed by exempting the same.
Tax on diabetic food, pasta, curry paste, mayonnaise and salad dressings, mixed condiments and mixed seasoning, condensed milk, spectacles frames was brought down to 12 per cent from existing 18 per cent.
“Lower 18 per cent GST will be levied on chewing gums, chocolates, after shave, deodorant, washing power, detergent, marble.” The all-powerful council pruned the list of items attracting the top 28 per cent tax rate to just 50 from 227 previously. In effect, the council cut rates on 178 items.
Tax on pasta, jute bags and has been brough down from 18 per cent to 12 per cent. “There were 228 items in the 28 per cent slab. The fitment committee had recommended that it should be pruned to 62 items. But the GST Council has further pruned 12 more items.” All types of chewing gum, chocolates, preparation for facial make-up, shaving and after-shave items, shampoo, deodorants, washing powder detergent and granite and marble will attract lower 18 per cent tax rate.
“There was unanimity that in 28 per cent category there should be only sin and demerit goods. So, today the GST Council took a historic decision, that in the 28 per cent slab there will be only 50 items and the remaining items have been brought down to 18 per cent.”
Paints and cement have been retained in the 28 per cent tax bracket. “Luxury goods like washing machines and air conditioners have been retained at 28 per cent.” The decision taken by the GST Council will have a revenue implication of Rs 20,000 crore annually. “There is consensus that slowly 28 per cent slab should be brought to 18 per cent. But it will take some time because it has a big revenue implication.”
All taxpayers can file GSTR-4 till December 24. Forms for GSTR-5, GSTR-5A, GSTR-6 will be released on December 11, December 15, and December 31 respectively.
The GST Council in the last 3-4 meetings has slashed rates on over 100 items. According to the reports, the Council may reduce taxes on certain common use items such as handmade furniture, plastic products and daily use items like shampoo. There have been demands for lowering tax on wooden furniture as it is mostly handmade by unorganised sector artisans, with the middle class as the primary consumers. Other items in the same tax basket include shower baths, sinks, wash basins, bidets, lavatory pans, seats and covers, flushing cisterns and similar sanitary ware of plastics.
Ever since the new tax regime came into being, the Council has reworked various provisions to make it more industry friendly. The turnover threshold for composition scheme, under which businesses can pay taxes at a nominal rate, has been hiked to Rs 1 crore, from Rs 75 lakh earlier. Items likely to see slash in tax rates are those used in every households, including sanitary ware, suitcase, wall paper, plywood, stationery articles, watch, play instruments, among others, said Modi, who heads a five-member GoM to monitor technology-related implementation issues of the GST. The objective behind lowering taxes is to give more relief to the small businessmen and consumers.
All decisions are people-inspired, people-friendly and people-centric: PM
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi on November 10, 2017 said that the recommendation made by the GST Council will further benefit the people and will strengthen the new tax regime. “These recommendations are in spirit of the continuous feedback we are getting from various stakeholders on GST, ” PM Shri Modi said. Stressing that all decisions relating to the GST are people-friendly, the Prime Minister said, “Jan Bhagidari is at the core of our working”. He said that the government is working tirelessly for India’s economic integration through GST. “All our decisions are people-inspired, people-friendly and people-centric,” he added.
The 23 GST Council meet saw a big tax Rejig till now. The tax rates on over 200 items, ranging from chewing gum to chocolates, to beauty products were revised to provide relief to consumers and businesses.
Govt to deploy skill trainers to help traders file returns
Meanwhile, the government has decided to deploy thousands of skill trainers who will help small businesses as well as individuals in fling returns as per the Central government’s new guidelines. The Central Board of Excise and Custom’s (CBEC) over 4,500 GST seva kendras will also help these people. The step has been taken to help small traders after the government faced criticism for the multi-stage system that needs to be followed to file returns. Instead of monthly returns, the Centre and the states could soon make it must to file returns quarterly. Under the government’s composition scheme – apart from exemption from the filing of details such as invoices, and rebate on card or an electronic wallet payments – those with annual turnover of Rs 1.5 crore would have to just pay 1% tax flat.
India Industries welcomes reduction in GST tax rates
India Industries on November 10, 2017 welcomed the decision of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council to reduce rates on 178 items of mass consumption and extension of tax filing timelines. Industry body Assocham’s Secretary General said that the “big changes in the GST rates” will lead to a pickup in consumer demand and significantly revive the business sentiment. The increase in the composition scheme threshold would make life much easier for the small business entities, he said. He added that the impact of these changes would be positively felt in the next few months.
On the overall impact of this decision, Mahesh Jaising, Partner, Deloitte India said, “The reduction in GST rates should reduce the burden on the common man. Hopefully, this is the start of the changes which are eagerly anticipated from the 23rd GST Council meeting.”