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Wednesday, May 21, 2025
TopicGST Council

Topic: GST Council

India’s GST system is now a mess. Those who designed it also are confused

The root cause of GST’s complexity lies in the multiplicity of rates. Time and again, experts recommended a simple dual-rate system. They were all ignored.

India’s popcorn tax tickles global media’s tastebuds & how Jahangir appears in a nativity scene

An op-ed in South China Morning Post also lists 4 major issues, besides border, that obstruct India-China’s relationship & reflects on how the 2 nations can 'improve mutual understanding'.

GST Council kicks the can on insurance premiums, decides on tax rate for re-sale of EVs

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman provided clarity on some key decisions taken by the Council, such as taxes on food and non-food items & taxes on resale of electric vehicles.

Chemistry of curd to physics of paratha, GST rates on food are a multi-disciplinary tangle

Issue of GST on food items is in news again after hotel owner’s viral interaction with Finance Minister Sitharaman last week. But complexities highlighted go back further in time.

Research funds exempt from GST, finance ministry not to pursue notices issued to IIT-D, Anna University

GST council in its 54th meeting exempted universities, research centres governed by central or state govt, or those exempted from Income Tax, from paying GST on research grants.

GST regime needs transformation. Rate rationalisation, simplification must be council’s key priority

Layers of complexity due to multiple tax rates result in similar products being taxed differently. There should be a phased move towards a low single rate to reduce incentive for evasion.

28% GST on gambling: Only on buy-in, not winnings, says Sitharaman amid concerns of double taxation

GST Council took its second-ever decision not based on consensus, on this matter, with Delhi, Goa, Sikkim and Tamil Nadu dissenting.

Govt to levy 28% GST on online gaming, casinos, horse racing. ‘No one wants to kill an industry, but…’

Finance Minister Sitharaman announces decision taken at GST Council meet, adds cancer drugs, medicines for rare diseases and food products for special medical purposes exempt from GST.

Modi govt clears GST dues worth Rs 16,982 crore, says paperwork delayed on part of 15 states

Union finance minister Sitharaman says govt cleared 90% GST compensation owed to states & only ‘5-8%’ is held back subject to authentication certificates issued by auditor general.

GST Council agrees to decriminalise certain offences, doubles limit for launching prosecution

Council members agreed to raise the threshold of launching prosecution to Rs 2 crore from the present Rs 1 crore & GST on husk of pulses was reduced to 0 from 5 per cent.

On Camera

India’s military revival hinges on overestimating Pakistan Army

We're used to framing the issue as one of deterrence, 'if you do X, then we will do Y and Z'. We should be moving toward compellence— 'if you do not abandon X, then we will do Y and Z'.

No competition, have to deliver faster & reliably, says Amazon India V-P of operations

Diving into workings of Gurugram fulfilment centre, Abhinav Singh, V-P (Ops) at Amazon India, offers insights into how company manages logistics, in conversation with ThePrint Editor-in-Chief Shekhar Gupta.

Op Sindoor: Inside story of what led Pakistan DGMO to make frantic calls for ‘ceasefire’

India used multiple types of aircraft, air to surface missiles & air defence systems to inflict damage to PAF. Almost all strikes were covered by high-res recon UAVs & satellites.

Pakistan has a 7-year terror itch. Here’s a two-minus-one-front idea to cure it

Pakistani establishments and their proxies are prone to severe, predictable 7-year-itch. Each step up the escalation ladder buys India about this many years of deterrence on average.