The present structure of Indirect Taxes is very complex in India. There are so many types of taxes that are levied by the Central and State Governments on Goods & Services.
We have to pay ‘Entertainment Tax’ for watching a movie. We have to pay Value Added Tax (VAT) on purchasing goods & services. And there are Excise duties, Import Duties, Luxury Tax, Central Sales Tax, Service Tax….hhmmm..
As of today some of these taxes are levied by the Central Government and some are by the State governments. How nice will it be if there is only one unified tax rate instead of all these taxes?
In this post, let us understand – what is Goods and Services Tax and its importance. What are the benefits of GST Bill to Corporates, common man and end consumer? What are the advantages, disadvantages and challenges?
It has been long pending issue to streamline all the different types of indirect taxes and implement a “single taxation” system. This system is called as GST ( GST is the abbreviated form of Goods & Services Tax). The main expectation from this system is to abolish all indirect taxes and only GST would be levied. As the name suggests, the GST will be levied both on Goods and Services.
GST was first introduced during 2007-08 budget session. On 17th December 2014, the current Union Cabinet ministry approved the proposal for introduction GST Constitutional Amendment Bill. On 19th of December 2014, the bill was presented on GST in Loksabha. The Bill will be tabled and taken up for discussion during the coming Budget session. The current central government is very determined to implement GST Constitutional Amendment Bill.
GST is a tax that we need to pay on supply of goods & services. Any person, who is providing or supplying goods and services is liable to charge GST.
How is GST applied?
GST is a consumption based tax/levy. It is based on the “Destination principle.” GST is applied on goods and services at the place where final/actual consumption happens.
GST is collected on value-added goods and services at each stage of sale or purchase in the supply chain. GST paid on the procurement of goods and services can be set off against that payable on the supply of goods or services.The manufacturer or wholesaler or retailer will pay the applicable GST rate but will claim back through tax credit mechanism.
But being the last person in the supply chain, the end consumer has to bear this tax and so, in many respects, GST is like a last-point retail tax. GST is going to be collected at point of Sale.
The GST is an indirect tax which means that the tax is passed on till the last stage wherein it is the customer of the goods and services who bears the tax. This is the case even today for all indirect taxes but the difference under the GST is that with streamlining of the multiple taxes the final cost to the customer will come out to be lower on the elimination of double charging in the system.
Let us understand the above supply chain of GST with an example:
The current tax structure does not allow a business person to take tax credits. There are lot of chances that double taxation takes place at every step of supply chain. This may set to change with the implementation of GST.
Indian Government is opting for Dual System GST. This system will have two components which will be known as
The current taxes like Excise duties, service tax, custom duty etc will be merged under CGST. The taxes like sales tax, entertainment tax, VAT and other state taxes will be included in SGST.
So, how is GST Levied? GST will be levied on the place of consumption of Goods and services. It can be levied on :
The rate (percentage) of GST is not yet decided. As mentioned in the above table, there might be CGST, SGST and Integrated GST rates. It is also widely believed that there will be 2 or 3 rates based on the importance of goods. Like, the rates can be lower for essential goods and could be high for precious/luxury items.
Benefits of GST Bill implementation
Challenges for implementing Goods & Services Tax system
Since GST replaces many cascading taxes, the common man may benefit after implementing it. But it all depends on ‘what rate the GST is going to be fixed at?’ Also, Small Traders (based on Annual Business turnover) may be exempted from it.
France was the first country to introduce this system in 1954. Nearly 140 countries are following this tax system. GST could be the next biggest tax reform in India. This reform could be a continuing process until it is fully evolved. We need to wait few more months for more details on Goods & Services Tax system.
Latest update (06-Apr-2017) : Rajyasabha passes GST bill. Now, the state assemblies would consider and pass their respective State GST (SGST) law.
Latest news on GST (30-Mar-2017) : GST Bill has been passed in Loksabha.
Latest update on GST Bill implementation date (28-Feb-2017) : All States now agree to roll out GST by July 2017.
Latest update on GST Rate Structure (03-Nov-2016) : A four-tier GST tax slabs have been decided by the Finance ministry. Below are the details;
Latest News on GST Bill (08-Sep-2016) – GST Bill gets President’s (Shri Pranab Mukherjee) nod. The enactment of the bill will now pave the way for the setting up of the GST council.
Latest News on GST Bill 2016 (03-August-2016) – Rajya Sabha passes GST Bill. What next? – The passage of the GST constitutional bill will lead to the setup of the GST council. The council will then deliberate upon the exact GST rate, which will be ratified by the States. The final and actual GST Bill will likely be taken up in Winter Session of the Parliament.
Latest news (14-June-2016) : Ministry of Finance releases Draft GST Bill. Click here to download GST Draft Bill 2016 PDF.
Latest News (24-Apr-2015) : Finance Minister, Arun Jaitely has tabled the GST Bill in Lok Sabha.
Do you think GST Bill is going to be the game changer for Indian economy? Do share your views and thoughts.
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(Image courtesy of Stuart Miles at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
This post was last modified on July 10, 2023 12:11 pm
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View Comments
i think gst implimation tax borden falls on consumer other manf,whoesel. are benifited. no dout eeconomic are dev...if flat rate are low is suitable for all
GST may result to increase revenue to central government and states will could not found reasonable revenue from central government and also it may benefit to common people (end consumers) instead of hassling from various tax levies
how the GST APPLICABELE ON CONSTRUCTION
Dear Langhe,
I believe that Prices of completed apartments/properties will not be affected as GST will not be applicable on completed immovable properties.
However, prices of under-construction properties might get affected (increase) once the GST rolls out, but this again depends on the exact gst tax rate. Let's wait for few more months to get more clarity.
DEAR SIR, PLZ GIVE ME FULL GST BILL ACT IN HINDI LANGUAGE.ON MY EMAIL ID.
I WILL GRATEFUL TO U.THANKS
Dear VIKRANT ..As of now, I do not have the bill in hindi..
Hi Sreekanth,
Can you please explain it to me by giving an example, which compares the current Tax value and the Tax value after GST? Let's say I had a Mc Aloo Tikki Meal for ₹100 at McDonalds. So, what is the tax that I am paying today and what will be the tax that I will pay after GST is implemented.
I am a starter in this. Plus, the tax value will decide whether people will support it or not..
And please keep writing such nice articles.
Thank You
Dear Tushar,
If we assume 17% as the GST tax rate, then the tax amount would be Rs 17 for the given example.
Let's take the current scenario : I had an ice cream in Ibaco. They have charged me VAT @ 14.5% and Service Tax @ 5.6%. So, the total taxes is more than the assumed GST rate.
There are lot of confusions in this bill.While a single tax structure is good as it simplifies the system and corruption will also reduce but it will not benefit the end user. For example, if I go to cinema theater to watch a movie then I should be paying only entertainment tax, why I should pay VAT as no value is added when the movie comes to a theater, why I should pay service tax as no service is provided at the theaters,why I should pay all goods related taxes as their are no goods involved here. With GST I am paying all these extra charges. At the cloth store why I should pay entertainment tax?
I think GST has lot of flaws. The best solution is to separate goods and services taxes and abolish VAT altogether. This way the end user will be taxed only for either the goods or services and not both.VAT is being abolished all over the world and it should be abolished in India too as it encourages lot of corruption.
Dear Manohar..Thank you for sharing your views. It also depends on the rate of tax. It may balance it out??
Rate of tax would be anything between 18% to 23% for sure. Because, they have to generate funds at the end of the day. I agree with Manohar jee. Business sector will certainly get benefited, but the end user and especially a middle class and lower, will get affected. But i think we will get habituated to GST also after few months. Initially we discuss like and this and everybody becomes part and parcel of the system, as we have to abide by! what say:-(
Thank for such a valuable information.........
but i am of the opinion that the common man defiantly suffer in because of GST.
Dear Nikhil..May I know why do you think so? Kindly share your views.
i think that it is good proposal of introducing single tax instead of multiple taxes.it has various advantages and disadvantages .it will reduce work load like payment of various taxes,filing of return.nd it will reduce cooruption.it will lead to less inflow of money in the economy nd such a manner it will be helpfgul in controlling inflation in the economy
Dear Sir,
Am Senior Citizen like so many others who have only Rental Income EXCEEDING 10 LACS attracting Service Tax Liability. As ONLY SERVICES are involved, therefore, in such cases is GOVT. considering SEPARATE SERVICES TAX SLAB being GST is NOT APPLICABLE.
Please clarify & suggest.
Dear MR MALHOTRA..I am not sure about this and let's wait for some more time to have a clarity on this.
Sir,
Nice article. The GST Bill will be passed certainly. As you said just it is a political game to not to claim the credit by BJP. First the UPA Govt. only proposed the GST Bill. Finally they will combine to pass the bill. Any how that is different issue. But finally what I am feeling that only corporate people , manufactures, retailers and service providers only will get more benefits. what ever tax rate it may be (16%- 18%), One side , they are going to get back GST as input tax credit and they have the right to increase the selling price at any point of sale as they wish. Govt. mat collect taxes easily , and there is no doubt. But ultimately the end user or consumer will suffer a lot. It is dam sure that all thee goods and services prices will increase. And no one has right to stop the prices. So that the inflation increases.
Dear Krishna,
Thank you for sharing your views.
In most of scenarios, it is the middle-man who make lot of profits. The end-user is always at the receiving end.
Let's wait for more clarity on GST bill and also about the final tax rate.
Dear Krishna,
Thank you for sharing your views.
In most of scenarios, it is the middle-man who make lot of profits. The end-user is always at the receiving end.
Let's wait for more clarity on GST bill and also about the final tax rate.
Dear Sreekanth, this is a very beautiful article. It is very well written in a manner that even a non-financial guy (like me) can understand. Keep up the great work. Will look forward to your other articles as I have bookmarked your page.
I have a few questions?
1. there has been nasty arguments in our parliament recently, with our political leaders not coming to an amicable resolution on passing the GST bill. What are the government's next steps? Is there a government website where a common man (like us) can track the status of the GST bill progression?
2. I read in other articles that all business entities/associations in India filed for an online petition for passing GST bill through the CII website. However, to their vein, the GST bill still did not pass. What is the reason? If it is people's wish to get the GST passed, then why didn't it happen? Or is it that general people (outside of business entities) should also apply through a petition? Please share some knowledge.
3. You clearly mentioned that states are reluctant to GST because they might lose revenues. Clearly, what states don't know (or probably don't want to disclose) that less than 10% of people pay states taxes legally. Given the stupidity of so much tax levied, obviously any person would want to avoid ridiculous tax cascades, and they end up paying a bribe. In other words, as you rightly mentioned, the high corruption in india is a direct result for so many taxes, and GST, being an indirect tax, will also indirectly eliminate (or at least reduce) rampant corruption. My question therefore is, what resolution is the center providing to the states, to assure them of getting a better revenue if GST is enforced? Because clearly, more people would come out in the open to pay taxes legally, when it is a reasonable amount. Or as a citizen, we people like us propose a plan to the central/state govt. that will assure them of passing the GST bill. Because clearly, no developed country would have instilled the GST (like over 140 countries), without this having a greater benefit in the long run.
Sorry to post such a large comment, however, thanks to your clearly explained article, I am thinking of setting up an online petition for GST by writing in a manner as to how it would benefit the common man. What are your thoughts? Or would you suggest that given the current central govt scenario, the GST will eventually get passed?
Looking forward for your reply dear friend. Again, keep up the great writing work!
Cheers,
Shri
Dear Shriram,
Thank you for sharing your views :)
I believe that implementation of GST is beneficial to our economy. There will be challenges or initial hicups after the implementation, but the benefits will be immense over the long-run.
You & me, most of the business houses and the current govt would like to implement the GST bill ASAP. But the current opposition parties are stalling it due to political differences and nothing else. They may not like to pass on the credit of GST bill implementation to the current govt.
The govt does not have clear majority in Rajyasabha though it has 2/3rd majority in Loksabha, this may be the situation till 2016. Hence, I believe that Bihar elections are key to the govt and its future plans to aggressively push the much needed economic reforms.
Thank you Sreekanth, for the prompt reply! Praying for the bihar results. Just found your page on facebook. Look forward to check up on your page regularly. Again, keep up the great writing work. Wishing your more success.