Our new Book (Third in last one year) on GST – GOODS & SERVICES TAX – LAWS, CONCEPTS AND IMPACT ANALYSIS OF SELECT INDUSTRIES has just been released. It is a 882 page Book covering GST concepts and provisions based on model law (CGST/ SGST / IGST in Part-A (20 Chapters)
GST Council met for the tenth time at Udaipur on 18th February, 2017, its first meeting out of Delhi and at Udaipur (Rajasthan). This meeting being at Udaipur for only few hours, being of one day and then due to air connectivity, people were reaching till 12.00 p.m. of same day.
The application fee for seeking advance ruling is to be increased from rupees two thousand five hundred(Rs 2500/-) to rupees ten thousand(Rs.10,000/-) on the lines of the Income Tax Act.( Section 96C(3) of the Finance Act, 1994)
The tax proposals, both direct and indirect, are aimed at the following major reform areas: 1. Measures for Promoting Affordable Housing and Real Estate Sector 2. Measures for Stimulating Growth 3. Promoting Digital Economy 4.Transparency in Electoral Funding 5. Ease of Doing Business
After it was almost clear after 9th meeting of GST Council that GST may now be implemented from July, 2017 only, at the earliest, all eyes were on the Union Budget 2017-18 which has since been presented in the Parliament of India on 1st February, 2017.
GST Council’s 9th meeting was held recently on 16th January, 2017 for the ninth time, second time in 2017, for deciding upon the unresolved issues, mainly about the cross empowerment and territorial jurisdiction of states. This meeting was considered significant for timing of GST as the last attempt to reconcile and make the states agree
While the Government still claims that it is actively working to see GST roll out from April, 2017, much would depend upon next week’s GST Council meeting. States have indicated that it could be doable from any time between June and September, 2017.
The 8th meeting of GSTC held on 3-4 January, 2017concluded without any break through on cross empowerment, territory and compensation issues. The issue of territory was not raised earlier and compensation issue has triggered again as a fall out of demonetization.
There is a general sentiment everywhere that India may witness a lower tax regime hence forth. This is the hope of citizens and businessmen as also being realized (off late) by the Government and tax administration.
Any law and tax laws in particular, use many words and expressions in statutory provisions. Each word has importance as well as relevance in a statutory provision and it must be read as per the text as well as context.
