With the passage of the GST bill in both the houses of Parliament, its implementation from 1 July 2017 is nearly certain.
India currently has a dual system of taxation of goods and services, which is quite different from dual GST. Taxes on goods are described as “VAT” at both Central and State level. It has adopted value added tax principle with input tax credit mechanism for taxation of goods and services, respectively, with limited cross-levy set-off.
GST (Goods and Service Tax)
GST means Goods and Service Tax. It is an indirect tax levied on sale of goods and services. The reformists believe that GST is one of the most awaited law which upon introduced will boost the economic growth in the country. This law if passed by the parliament may come into force from April 2016. As everyone is talking about it now, let’s get into the basics of the proposed law in this article.
Does GST apply to you?
Being an indirect tax, it is applicable to businesses, professionals, freelancers and service providers. It does not apply to salaried individuals.
Is it easy to implement in India?
Not really. Today states have autonomy in collecting state taxes. They have the feeling of losing their rights! They want liquor, fuel to be out of GST tax system. They are also worried about Central government sharing GST revenue with the states. If India becomes one common market, then the states will have to share their powers of taxing with the union government. (Which means states can’t increase the taxes as and when, as much as they want)
What is a “casual taxable person?”
A person who occasionally supplies goods and/or services in a territory where GST is applicable but does not have a fixed place of business in the said state is treated as a casual taxable person. For example, a person who has a place of business in Bangalore gives consulting services in Pune (where he has no place of business), then he would be treated as a casual taxable person in Pune.
What are the differences between the UPA’s GST and the NDA’s GST?
Below are the primary differences:
What will be the short-term impact of GST?
The GST will fuel inflation for the short term. The GST rate starts at 5% and 18% taxation services such as restaurants, movies etc. are bound to increase prices. Another problem with the GST that many pundits feel is not including liquor and petroleum under GST’s ambit. These are major revenue sources for the government and experts feel this is being done due to a few crony capitalists who need some time to funnel away their black money as the GST promises to widen the tax paying population.
Related : How GST Works in India
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