INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
One year of GST: Nearly 177 items were brought from tax rate of 28 percent to 18 percentSoon after the much-awaited indirect tax reform
legislation Goods And Services Tax (GST) was rolled out on July 1 last year, several stakeholders, from tax payers to common citizens,
raised their eyebrows, and even expressed outrage for prohibitively high rates of some of the items especially the ones that were put in the
The GST was rolled out with five different tax slabs: zero percent, 5 percent, 12 percent, 18 percent and 28 percent
Though GST was appreciated as a one-stop solution to all indirect tax related woes and the problem of spate of state taxes and levies, but
it was condemned for keeping nearly 250 items in the highest tax bracket, which is 28 percent.Nearly four months after the GST was rolled
out, the 23rd GST Council meet that took place in Guwahati on November 10 slashed the tax rates from 28 percent to the lower slabs on over
The highest tax slab was retained only on 50 's inful and luxury items' while nearly 177 items were rationalised from the highest tax slab
The items on which GST was slashed from 28 percent to 18 percent included wire, cables, insulated conductors, electrical insulators,
electrical plugs, switches, sockets, fuses, relays, electrical connectors, electrical boards, panels, consoles, cabinets etc for electric
control or distribution, particle/fibre boards and ply wood, article of wood, wooden frame, paving block, furniture, mattress, bedding and
similar furnishing, trunk, suitcase, vanity cases, brief cases, travelling bags and other hand bags, cases, detergents, washing and cleaning
preparations, liquid or cream for washing the skin, shampoos; Hair cream, Hair dyes (natural, herbal or synthetic) and similar other goods;
henna powder or paste, not mixed with any other ingredient; pre-shave, shaving or after-shave preparations, personal deodorants, bath
preparations, perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations, perfumes and toilet waters, beauty or make-up preparations, fans, pumps,
compressors, lamp and light fitting, primary cell and primary batteries, sanitary ware and parts thereof of all kind, articles of plastic,
floor covering, baths, shower, sinks, washbasins, seats, sanitary ware of plastic, slabs of marbles and granite, goods of marble and granite
such as tiles, ceramic tiles of all kinds of miscellaneous articles such as vacuum flasks, lighters and several other things.GST rate cut
from 28 per cent to 18 per cent:1
Wire, cables, insulated conductors, electrical insulators, electrical plugs, etc2
Furniture, mattress, bedding and similar furnishing3
Trunk, suitcase, vanity cases, brief cases, travelling bags and other hand bags4
Detergents, washing and cleaning preparations5
Liquid or cream for washing the skin shampoos;6
Perfumes and toilet waters Beauty or make-up preparations7
Fans, pumps, compressors, lamp and light fitting8
Primary cell and primary batteries9
Sanitary ware and parts thereof of all kind10
Articles of plastic, floor covering, baths, shower, sinks etc11
The highest tax bracket items (28 percent) were also brought into the fold of 12 percent
These items included wet grinders consisting of stone as grinder, tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles.3
Rationalisation on some other items made the goods cheaper
For instance the goods that were earlier in the tax slab of 18 percent were brought in the fold of 12 percent and 5 percent.The goods that
came from 18 percent to 12 percent included condensed milk, Refined sugar and sugar cubes, pasta, curry paste, mayonnaise and salad
18 per cent to 12 per cent:1
Refined sugar and sugar cubes3
Curry paste, mayonnaise and salad dressings, mixed condiments and mixed seasoning5
The items that were brought from 18 percent to five percent included puffed rice chikki, peanut chikki, sesame chikki, revdi, tilrevdi,
khaza, kazuali, groundnut sweets gatta, kuliya, flour of potatoes put up in unit container bearing a brand name Chutney powder.GST rate cut
from 18 per cent to 5 per cent:1
Puffed rice chikki, peanut chikki, sesame chikki, revdi, tilrevdi, khaza, kazuali, groundnut sweets gatta, kuliya2
Flour of potatoes put up in unit container bearing a brand name3
Sulphur recovered in refining of crude6
Not only this, the goods were also brought from 12 percent to 5 percent including desiccated coconut, narrow woven fabric including cotton
newar [with no refund of unutilised input tax credit], idli, dosa batter, finished leather, chamois and composition leather.The items on
which the 5 percent GST rate became nil included guar meal, hop cone (other than grounded, powdered or in pellet form), certain dried
vegetables such as sweet potatoes, maniac unworked coconut shell, fish frozen or dried (not put up in unit container bearing a brand name)
