Q 13: What is the concept of providing threshold exemption for GST?
Ans: Threshold exemption is built into a tax regime to keep small traders out of tax net. This has three-fold objectives:
a. It is difficult to administer small traders and cost of administering of such traders is very high in comparison to the tax paid by them.
b. The compliance cost and compliance effort would be saved for such small traders.
c. Small traders get relative advantage over large enterprises on account of lower tax incidence.
The present thresholds prescribed in different State VAT Acts below which VAT is not applicable varies 48 from State to State. A uniform State GST threshold across States is desirable and, therefore, as already mentioned in Answer to Question 6, it has been considered that a threshold of gross annual turnover of ₹ 10 lakh both for goods and services for all the States and Union Territories might be adopted with adequate compensation for the States (particularly, the States in North-Eastern Region and Special Category States) where lower threshold had prevailed in the VAT regime. Keeping in view the interest of small traders and small scale industries and to avoid dual control, the States also considered that the threshold for Central GST for goods may be kept ₹ 1.5 Crore and the threshold for services should also be appropriately high.
