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CEA led Panel recommends RNR at 15-15.5% and eliminating Additional Tax of 1% on inter-state supply of goods |
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CEA led Panel recommends RNR at 15-15.5% and eliminating Additional Tax of 1% on inter-state supply of goods |
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Bracing to roll out the new Indirect tax regime - Goods and Services Tax (“GST”) from April 1, 2016, the Central Government on June 17, 2015 announced the setting up of two Committees to suggest tax GST rates and to look into IT preparedness for GST. The Government has entrusted Chief Economic Advisor, Dr. Arvind Subramanian-head of one of the two panels-with the task of proposing a Revenue Neutral Rate (“RNR”), or a rate at which there will be no revenue loss to States under the proposed GST regime. Earlier, a rate of 27% recommended by a sub-committee of the State and Central Government officials, based on a report of the National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (“NIPFP”), was considered unacceptable and too high by the Government. The Committee headed by the Chief Economic Adviser Dr. Arvind Subramanian (“the Committee”) on Possible Tax rates under GST submitted its Report to the Finance Minister yesterday, recommending a RNR range of 17-18 % for the proposed GST. At the outset, the Committee clarifies the terminology ‘RNR’ as under: “The term revenue neutral rate (RNR) will refer to that single rate, which preserves revenue at desired (current) levels. In practice, there will be a structure of rates, but for the sake of analytical clarity and precision it is appropriate to think of the RNR as a single rate. It is a given single rate that gets converted into a whole rate structure, depending on policy choices about exemptions, what commodities to charge at a lower rate (if at all), and what to charge at a very high rate…” Because the prerogative of deciding the precise numbers will be that of the future GST Council, the Committee has chosen to recommend a range for the RNR rather than a specific rate. For the same reason, the Committee has decided to recommend not one but a few conditional rate structures that depend on policy choices made on exemptions, and the taxation of certain commodities such as precious metals. The summary of recommended options is provided in the table below:
*The Committee’s recommendations on rates summarized in the table above are all national rates, comprising the sum of Central and State GST rates. How these combined rates are allocated between the Center and States will be determined by the GST Council, which must reflect the revenue requirements of the Centre and States so that revenues are protected. Following are the summarised highlights of the Executive Summary of the Report submitted by the Committee:
As the table shows, very low rates on precious metals would lead to a high standard rate closer to 20%, distorting the economy and adding to inflationary pressures. On the other hand, moderately higher taxes on precious metals, which would be consistent with the Government’s efforts to wean consumers away from gold, could lead to a standard rate closer to 17%.
The Committee in its concluding observations has stated that this is a historic opportunity for India to implement a game-changing tax reform. The nation is on the cusp of executing one of the most ambitious and remarkable tax reforms in its independent history. Domestically, it will help improve governance, strengthen tax institutions, facilitate “Make in India by Making One India,” and impart buoyancy to the tax base. It will also set the global standard for a Value Added Tax (VAT) in large federal systems in the years to come. "The report has been submitted. The department of revenue and finance ministry will go through it and put it into consultation with state governments, through mutual consultation between the state and Centre, through the empowered committee." Shri. Shaktikanta Das, Economic Affairs Secretary Our Comments: We welcome and appreciate the recommendations made by the Committee. The Industry has been keenly looking forward to this report and it is expected that recommendations of a modest rate will clear the way for implementation of the much-awaited GST regime. Per the suggestion of the Committee, standard rate of 17-18%, appears modest for goods, presently levied with Excise duty of 12.5% at Central level and State levies ranging high between 14.5 to 15%. In contrast, the recommended rate will trigger concerns for the services, as services are likely to become expensive, considering the present Service tax rate of 14.5% (with Swachh Bharat Cess). Further, elimination of 1% additional tax on inter-state supply of goods is definitely a recommendation worth applauding. Hope the information will assist you in your Professional endeavours. In case of any query/ information, please do not hesitate to write back to us.
By: Bimal jain - December 7, 2015
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