GST : Good and Service Tax

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a successor to VAT used in India on the supply of goods and services. GST is a digitalized form of VAT where you can also track the goods & services. Both VAT and GST have the same taxation slabs. It is a comprehensive, multistage, destination-based tax: comprehensive because it has subsumed almost all the indirect taxes except a few state taxes. Multi-staged as it is, the GST is imposed at every step in the production process, but is meant to be refunded to all parties in the various stages of production other than the final consumer and as a destination-based tax, it is collected from point of consumption and not point of origin like previous taxes.

Goods and services are divided into five different tax slabs for collection of tax: 0%, 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%. However, petroleum products, alcoholic drinks, and electricity are not taxed under GST and instead are taxed separately by the individual state governments, as per the previous tax system. There is a special rate of 0.25% on rough precious and semi-precious stones and 3% on gold. In addition a cess of 22% or other rates on top of 28% GST applies on several items like aerated drinks, luxury cars and tobacco products. Pre-GST, the statutory tax rate for most goods was about 26.5%; post-GST, most goods are expected to be in the 18% tax range.

The tax came into effect from 1 July 2017 through the implementation of the One Hundred and First Amendment of the Constitution of India by the Indian government. The GST replaced existing multiple taxes levied by the central and state governments. The tax rates, rules and regulations are governed by the GST Council which consists of the finance ministers of the central government and all the states. The GST is meant to replace a slew of indirect taxes with a federated tax and is therefore expected to reshape the country's $3.5 trillion economy, but its implementation has received criticism. Positive outcomes of the GST includes the travel time in interstate movement, which dropped by 20%, because of disbanding of interstate check posts.

What are the components of GST?

There are three taxes applicable under this system: CGST, SGST & IGST.

Let us assume that a dealer in Gujarat had sold the goods to a dealer in Punjab worth Rs. 50,000. The tax rate is 18% comprising of only IGST. In such a case, the dealer has to charge IGST of Rs.9,000. This revenue will go to Central Government.

The same dealer sells goods to a consumer in Gujarat worth Rs. 50,000. The GST rate on goods is 12%. This rate comprises CGST at 6% and SGST at 6%. The dealer has to collect Rs.6,000 as Goods and Service Tax, Rs.3,000 will go to the Central Government and Rs.3,000 will go to the Gujarat government since the sale is within the state.