What is GST?

GST is a consumption based tax levied on sale, manufacture and consumption on goods & services at a national level. This tax will be substitute for all indirect tax levied by state and central government. Exports and direct tax like income tax, corporate tax and capital gain tax will not be affected by GST. GST would apply to all goods other than crude petroleum, motor spirit, diesel, aviation turbine fuel and natural gas. It would apply to all services barring a few to be specified. With the increase of international trade in services, GST has become a global standard. The proposed tax system will take the form of “dual GST” which is concurrently levied by central and state government. This will comprise of:

• Central GST (CGST) which will be levied by Centre
• State GST (SGST) Which will be levied by State
• Integrated GST (IGST) – which will be levied by Central Government on inter-State supply of goods and services.

Why GST is needed?

One can explain the impact of cascading taxes with an example. Say A sells goods to B after charging sales tax, and then B re-sells those goods to C after charging sales tax. In this case while B was computing its sales tax liability, it also included the sales tax paid on previous purchase, which is how it becomes a tax on tax. This is also referred to as taxes on taxes. This is where the need for GST arises to do away with the phenomenon.

Goods and Services Tax better known as GST in India, is a new and comprehensive tax to be levied on sales, manufacturing and consumption of services and goods across the nation. Referred to as one of the biggest tax reforms in the country, GST is expected to bring together state economies and improve overall economic growth of the nation.

Both the Central as well as State governments are set to impose GST on all services and goods produced, manufactured and imported in India. Exports are not subject to GST. As of now, the proposal is for two tax rates at both State and Central levels for the initial two years, which would be merged into a single tax rate in the all third financial year.