State finance ministers, on Saturday, turned down the Centre’s request to place mobile phones and tablets in the list of declared goods in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, saying the idea was untenable.
The Ministry for Communication and Information Technology’s request for placing mobile phones and tablets in the declared goods list came up for discussion at the meeting and was rejected, Sushil Kumar Modi, Chairman of the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers on GST, told reporters after the conclusion of the two-day meeting of the committee. “The panel is of the firm view that the idea is untenable, and no item should be kept in the declared goods list in the GST regime,” he said. Mr. Modi, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar, said the GST network would create a robust infrastructure for effective implementation of GST regime.
The IT-enabled GSTN will provide an interface to stakeholders and avoid evasion in indirect taxation systems.
The empowered committee also set up two important committees, one to look into taxation of sugar, textile and tobacco products, and the other to draft GST legislation.
Giving the latest VAT revenue position of States, Mr. Modi said Bihar was at the top with 30.5 per cent VAT revenue growth followed by Tamil Nadu with 27.7 per cent and Gujarat with 26.5 per cent.
However, the panel could not take a call on revising the lower VAT rate from 5 per cent to 6 per cent, Mr. Modi said.
Special category
The GST panel decided to hold a meeting of special category States, including Jammu and Kashmir, by the end of June or early July, to discuss the implications of the proposed GST regime on them in view of the fact that they enjoyed a number of tax exemptions due to their special category status.
