GST Payable on Wetland Conversion Fee as Land Conversion Is Not a Panchayat Function: AAAR Kerala

In re Manappuram Finance Ltd. (GST AAAR Kerala) In this case, the Kerala Appellate Authority for Advance Ruling (AAAR) examined whether the fee paid by a non-banking financial company (NBFC) to the Kerala Government for converting land classified as wetland into dry land under Section 27A of the Kerala Conservation of Paddy Land and Wetland Act, 2008, was liable to GST under the reverse charge mechanism (RCM). The appellant owned land classified as wetland and sought permission to change its classification to dry land for construction purposes. For obtaining this approval, the appellant paid t...