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Saturday, January 3, 2026
TopicGST Council

Topic: GST Council

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.

On Camera

India’s urban co-op banks are turning the page—crisis to cautious revival, one metric at a time

With bad loans shrinking & capital buffers stronger, urban co-op banks’ new umbrella body NUCFDC is now prioritising rollout of digital transformation.

Greece looking at TATA’s WhAP infantry combat vehicle for army procurement

If deal goes through, Greece will be 2nd foreign country to procure vehicle. Morocco was first; TATA Group has set up manufacturing unit there with minimum 30 percent indigenous content.

A year-end Mea Culpa in National Interest—The Army-Islam combo doesn’t kill democracy

Many of you might think I got something so wrong in National Interest pieces written this year. I might disagree! But some deserve a Mea Culpa. I’d deal with the most recent this week.