Roadmap for the implementation of GST

By | November 30, 2015
(Last Updated On: November 30, 2015)

Roadmap for the implementation of GST in India

(Extract from REPORT OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON THE CONSTITUTION ONE HUNDRED & TWENTY SECOND AMENDMENT) BILL 2014 PRESENTED TO THE RAJYA SABHA ON 22nd July, 2015

Objective of Introducing the GST

In international arena GST is known for its end user consumption tax. The broad objectives of introducing the Goods and Services Tax (GST) would widen the tax base through the coverage of multifarious economic activities into its ambit and by cutting down exemptions; mitigate cascading and double taxation and enabling better compliance through the lowering of overall tax burden on goods and services. By doing away with latent or embedded taxes, it would provide leeway for the competitiveness of domestic industry vis-à-vis imports and in international markets. Unifying the tax structure across States, the new scheme of tax regime would pave way for a common national market for goods and services.

Rationale behind moving towards GST:

Presently, the Constitution empowers the Central Government to levy excise duty on manufacturing and service tax on the supply of services. Further, it empowers the State Governments to levy sales tax or value added tax (VAT) on the sale of goods. This exclusive division of fiscal powers has led to a multiplicity of indirect taxes in the country. In addition, central sales tax (CST) is levied on intra-State sale of goods by the Central Government, but collected and retained by the exporting States. Further, many States levy an entry tax on the entry of goods in local areas.

This multiplicity of taxes at the State and Central levels has resulted in a complex indirect tax structure in the country that is ridden with hidden costs for the trade and industry. Firstly, there is no uniformity of tax rates and structure across States. Secondly, there is cascading of taxes due to ‘tax on tax’. No credit of excise duty and service tax paid at the stage of manufacture is available to the traders while paying the State level sales tax or VAT, and vice-versa. Further, no credit of State taxes paid in one State can be availed in other States. Hence, the prices of goods and services get artificially inflated to the extent of this ‘tax on tax’

The introduction of GST would mark a clear departure from the scheme of distribution of fiscal powers envisaged in the Constitution. The proposed dual GST envisages taxation of the same taxable event, i.e., supply of goods and services, simultaneously by both the Centre and the States.

GST will simplify and harmonise the indirect tax regime in the country. It is expected to reduce cost of production and inflation in the economy, thereby making the Indian trade and industry more competitive, domestically as well as internationally. It is also expected that introduction of GST will foster a common or seamless Indian market and contribute significantly to the growth of the economy.

Further, GST will broaden the tax base, and result in better tax compliance due to a robust IT infrastructure. Due to the seamless transfer of input tax credit from one stage to another in the chain of value addition, there is an in-built mechanism in the design of GST that would incentivize tax compliance by traders

Amendment of the Constitution: Government introduced on 19.12.2014 the Constitution (122nd) Amendment Bill, 2014 in the Lok Sabha for amending the Constitution of India to facilitate introduction of Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the country. The Bill has been passed by the Lok Sabha on 06.05.2015 and is pending in Rajya Sabha. After the Bill is passed in both the Houses of the Parliament by two-thirds majority, the Constitutional Amendment Bill will be sent to State Legislatures for ratification. The ratification by at least 50% of the State Legislature will be required before the proposed amendments are brought in effect.

Enactment of enabling legislation in the Centre and States: For the levy of CGST, SGST and IGST (Integrated Goods and Services Tax ), a set of three laws would need to be enacted.

CGST (Central Goods and Services Tax )and IGST laws would need to be enacted by the Parliament, and

The SGST (State Goods and Services Tax  )law would have to be enacted by each of the State Legislatures.

Status on design and mechanics of GST:

The contours of GST are still evolving. Key aspects of GST like the tax rate, tax base, exemption limits, place of supply rules for services, appropriate IGST model etc. will be finalized on passage of the Bill. In this regard, the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers(EC) and the Department of Revenue, GOI, have constituted several working groups and committees for drafting the GST Rules and processes as follows:-

i. Committee on Dual Control, Threshold and Exemptions in GST Regime;

ii. Committee on IGST and GST on imports;

iii. Committee on Revenue Neutral rates for State GST & Central GST and Place of Supply Rules;

iv. Committee to draft model GST Law;

v. Committee to examine the Report of the sub-Group-I on Business Processes.

Salient features of the Constitution (122nd) Amendment Bill, 2014:

The salient features of the GST Bill as introduced in the Lok Sabha are as follows:-

(a) subsuming of various Central indirect taxes and levies such as Central Excise Duty, Additional Excise Duties, Excise Duty levied under the Medicinal and Toilet Preparations (Excise Duties) Act, 1955, Service Tax, Additional Customs Duty commonly known as Countervailing Duty, Special Additional Duty of Customs, and Central Surcharges and Cesses so far as they relate to the supply of goods and services;

(b) subsuming of State Value Added Tax/Sales Tax, Entertainment Tax (other than the tax levied by the local bodies), Central Sales Tax (levied by the Centre and collected by the States), Octroi and Entry tax, Purchase Tax, Luxury tax, Taxes on lottery, betting and gambling; and State cesses and surcharges in so far as they relate to supply of goods and services;

(c) dispensing with the concept of ‘declared goods of special importance’ under the Constitution;

(d) levy of Integrated Goods and Services Tax on inter-State transactions of goods and services;

(e) levy of an additional tax on supply of goods, not exceeding one per cent. in the course of inter-State trade or commerce to be collected by the Government of India for a period of two years, and assigned to the States from where the supply originates;

(f) conferring concurrent power upon Parliament and the State Legislatures to make laws governing goods and services tax;

(g) coverage of all goods and services, except alcoholic liquor for human consumption, for the levy of goods and services tax. In case of petroleum and petroleum products, it has been provided that these goods shall not be subject to the levy of Goods and Services Tax till a date notified on the recommendation of the Goods and Services Tax Council.

(h) compensation to the States for loss of revenue arising on account of implementation of the Goods and Services Tax for a period which may extend to five years;

(i) creation of Goods and Services Tax Council to examine issues relating to goods and services tax and make recommendations to the Union and the States on parameters like rates, exemption list and threshold limits. The Council shall function under the Chairmanship of the Union Finance Minister and will have the Union Minister of State in charge of Revenue or Finance as member, along with the Minister in-charge of Finance or Taxation or any other Minister nominated by each State Government.

It is further provided that every decision of the Council shall be taken by a majority of not less than three-fourths of the weighted votes of the members present and voting in accordance with the following principles:—

(A) the vote of the Central Government shall have a weightage of one-third of the total votes cast, and (B) the votes of all the State Governments taken together shall have a weightage of two-thirds of the total votes cast in that meeting

 

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