Search Result for : Vat

The 2009 GST framework had only two rates, 5% & 14%, Asim Dasgupta

By Sheela Mamidenna As the Chairman of the Empowered Group of State Finance Ministers which was instrumental in the formulation of GST Laws in 2009, Dr Asim Kumar Dasgupta can be rightly called as the ‘architect of GST’. A reformer by heart he set out to mastermind the most ambitious tax reform in Indian history by introducing the Value Added Tax (VAT). He was the man who was instrumental in doing away with many draconian tax levies such as octroi and highway toll in West Bengal and was fondly referred to as ‘my US-trained finance minister’ by the then Chief Minister of West Bengal, Jyoti Basu.  Dr Dasgupta, an MIT graduate continues to inspire the new generation as he lectures at various ...

A history of the GST Roll-Out

The Dollar Business Bureau  Goods and Services Tax (GST), a historic tax reform, will come into effect from tomorrow i.e.1st July 2017. GST will completely transform the Indirect Taxation landscape in the country involving both the Central and State levies. In a departure from the normal practice, GST will be administered together by the Centre and States. Why is GST important? The biggest tax reform since independence - GST - will pave the way for the realisation of the goal of One Nation - One Tax - One Market. GST will benefit all the stakeholders namely industry, government and consumer. It will lower the cost of goods and services, give a boost to the economy and make the products and services globally competitive, giving a ...

GST not going to affect textile business, Haryana CM

The Dollar Business Bureau Manohar Lal Khattar, the CM of Haryana said the Goods and Services Tax (GST) is not going to adversely affect the textile business. This comes after several textile traders and unions have gone on a strike against the imposition of GST. "Textile has been placed in the slab of 5% under the GST. Presently, there is an embedded tax of central excise duties of 3.38% and 2.8% of VAT on cotton yarn," he said. Therefore, the 5% tax on fabric is not going to put additional burden on textile, Khattar claimed. "Moreover, the cascading effect would be mitigated with the event of the GST and the net effective tax on fabric would be minimal," he said at a seminar on ...

GST could have a negative impact on oil and gas industry, ICRA-ASSOCHAM report

The Dollar Business Bureau The Goods and Services Tax (GST) will have adverse impact on the oil and gas sector as it will have to conform to the current tax regime as well as to GST, the ICRA-ASSOCHAM report said. The GST regime is expected to be rolled out from July 1, 2017. The next meet of GST Council is to be held on June 18, in which it will decide upon the lottery tax and e-way bill. “The oil and gas industry would have to comply with both the current tax regime as well as the GST regime leading to double compliance cost because five petroleum products viz crude oil, natural gas, motor spirit, high-speed diesel and aviation turbine fuel have been excluded from the GST, while other ...

Commerce Ministry sets up GST Facilitation Cell

The Dollar Business Bureau  The Ministry of Commerce on Thursday constituted a Goods and Services Tax (GST) facilitation cell with the purpose to address issues related with the new tax regime with regards to the Foreign Trade Policy. The facilitation cell is to be constituted in the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) headquarter. “To ensure smooth and successful rollout of GST, it is decided to constitute a ‘GST Facilitation Cell’ in DGFT Headquarter and all Regional offices of DGFT to serve as the first point of contact for addressing any issues regarding GST in respect of Foreign Trade Policy,” the DGFT said in trade notice (No.08/2018) dated June 8. Additional DGFT Nikunj Kumar Srivastava will head the GST facilitation cell. It would also ...

Apparel exports up 31.7% in Apr, on RoSL Scheme support

The Dollar Business Bureau The apparel exports from India recorded a momentous rise of 31.7% in April this year as compared to same month a year ago. In a statement to the media Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) said “India’s apparel exports registered momentous growth of 31.7% in April 2017 compared to same period last year.” According to the data, the apparel sector has been witnessing a double-digit growth, after the introduction of disbursement of RoSL (Rebate of State Levies) scheme. During March-April, this year, the garment exporters were able to enhance their production capacity by about 30% for achieving such growth and employed around 5% more workers during this same period, the statement said. AEPC Chairman Ashok G Rajani, while attributing this growth to RoSL scheme, said, ...

Industry not happy with cement placed in highest slab under GST

The Dollar Business Bureau  With cement coming under the 28% tax rate structure under Goods and Services Tax (GST), the industry is not happy with the government slotting it under the highest tax structure as the sector is already struggling with low demand. The Government has failed to take an advantage to spur growth in the already struggling housing and cement sector by placing the commodity in the uppermost tax bracket of 28% under the GST, the industry body Cement Manufacturers Association (CMA) said reacting to the announcement. The industry body has also lamented that the taxation on cement, the highest in the Asia Pacific region, has impacted the health of the sector that is seeing just 70% of its capacity utilisation because of low demand.  “On a 50 kg bag ...

Taxes on entertainment, cable, DTH to come down under GST

The Dollar Business Bureau The government said on Tuesday that taxes on entertainment, Direct-To-Home (DTH)  and cable services would come down in the new Goods and Services Tax (GST) as 'entertainment tax' that is imposed by the states has been included in the GST regime. The services offered through admission to cinematography films or entertainment events in cinema halls will be imposed with a rate of 28% under GST effective from July 1, the Finance Ministry said in a statement. Presently, the states levy entertainment tax of up to 100% with regard to exhibition of films in cinema halls/theatres. The entertainment tax has now been subsumed under the GST, and therefore only the taxes imposed by a municipality or panchayat on amusements and entertainments will stay. “Entertainment ...