All You Want To Know About GST
The Indian taxation system for goods and services is defined by a cascading, distorted tax structure which leads to misallocation of resources, hampering productivity and slower economic growth. To remove this hurdle, a unified and a simple tax system like GST (Goods and Service Tax) is needed to unite the nation. The GST system will start across India on 01 April 2017.
GST
Goods and Services Tax (GST) refers to an indirect tax. The implementation of this tax is in India. The collection of this tax takes place from the point of consumption. This is in contrast to collection from the point of origin like previous taxes. Furthermore, this tax’s imposition is at every step in the production process. The refund is for all the parties in the various stages of production. Also, GST includes almost all indirect taxes.
Explaination of GST
First of all, Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a single tax system. The imposition of this tax takes place jointly by the center and the state. Furthermore, the imposition happens with the recommendation of a federal council.
In GST, the goods and services are divided into five different tax slabs. This is for the purpose of the tax collection. Above all, the tax slabs are – 0%, 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%. Also, petroleum products, alcoholic drinks, and electricity do not come under GST. Rough precious and semi-precious stones carry a special rate of 0.25%. Gold also carries a special rate of 3%.
GST certainly subsumed several taxes and levies. These include central excise duty, services tax, and additional customs duty. Furthermore, state-level VAT, surcharges, and Octroi also come under GST. The GST regime has done away with levies. Also, these levies were applicable to inter-state transportation of goods. Most noteworthy, the application of GST is on all transactions. These transactions are sale, purchase, transfer, lease, and import.
Benefits of GST
First of all, the cascading tax effect refers to a tax on tax. Most noteworthy, GST eliminates the cascading effects of Tax. This is because GST is a comprehensive indirect tax. It certainly brings almost all indirect taxation under one umbrella.
Another notable advantage of GST is the increase in the threshold for registration. Earlier, a VAT was applied if the turnover was more than Rs 5 lakh. This VAT’s application was upon a business. Furthermore, there was no service tax when turnover was less than Rs 10 lakh. In contrast, under GST this threshold is Rs 20 lakh. Hence, this means an exemption for many small traders and service providers.
Small businesses can certainly benefit significantly under GST. Furthermore, these small businesses have a turnover of Rs 20 to 75 lakh. The benefit of these small businesses takes place due to the composition scheme. Under GST, there is an option for small businesses to lower taxes. They can do so by utilizing the composition scheme.
The entire process of GST is available online. Most noteworthy, it is an easy and simple online process. Therefore, it is really beneficial for start-up businesses. This is because they don’t have to struggle to get different registrations.
In conclusion, GST has been a revolutionary tax system for India. Most noteworthy, many experts hail it as one of the biggest tax reforms. GST certainly is beneficial for the entire population of India.
- Consumption
Because the goods-and-services tax is targeted at consumers rather than producers, consumption could take a hit initially before companies pass on cost benefits.
