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Printing Industry is a very wide Industry ranging from Newspapers to Commercial Books and Periodicals. Involvement of Jobwork and changes in definitions have made significant changes in the way GST Applies on Printing Works vis-à-vis Earlier VAT & Service Tax Regime.
This article is less legal and more for information purpose. I have intently tried to tone down legal reference to make this more suitable for interpretative understanding of GST Applicability on Printing Works. Let’s Start.
Firstly, Most Important Point – Printing is NO MORE A WORKS CONTRACT UNDER CURRENT GST LAW. So we will not say it as works contract anymore. The reason why it is no more a works contract in GST is because under current GST Works Contract only includes Immovable Property unlike in VAT & Service tax before where Works Contract Including both Movable and Immovable Property.
So whenever there is confusion in GST in regard to whether printing leads to goods or services, simply apply what was dominant intention. For Example, you took content from publisher and printed the books then you are rendering printing services but the publisher is a seller and he will be deemed as selling goods under Chapter 4901 and HSN Code rate of GST will apply.
Coming on the Rates* of Various Items of the Industry – The Same are as follows:-
| S.No | Nature of Item / Service | HSN / SAC | Goods / Service | Rate of GST |
| 1 | Services by way of printing of all goods falling under Chapter 48 or 49 [including newspapers, books (including Braille books), journals and periodicals], which attract IGST @ 12 per cent. or 5 per cent. or Nil, where only content is supplied by the publisher and the physical inputs including paper used for printing belong to the printer.
(Essentially this is a Printing Job Work where Paper Belongs to Printing Concern) |
Heading 9989(i) | Service | 12% |
| 2 | Other manufacturing services; publishing, printing and reproduction services; materials recovery services, other than (i) above.
(It can cover cases where paper belongs to publisher and only printing done, only binding done, reproduction etc) |
Heading 9989(ii) | Service | 18% |
| 3 | Judicial, Non-judicial stamp papers, Court fee stamps when sold by the Government Treasuries or Vendors authorized by the Government | 4802 / 4907 | Goods | 0% |
| 4 | Postal items, like envelope, Post card etc., sold by Government | 4817 / 4907 | Goods | 0% |
| 5 | Rupee notes when sold to the Reserve Bank of India | 48 / 4907 | Goods | 0% |
| 6 | Cheques, lose or in book form | 4907 | Goods | 0% |
| 7 | Printed books, including Braille books | 4901 | Goods | 0% |
| 8 | Newspapers, journals and periodicals, whether or not illustrated or containing advertising material | 4902 | Goods | 0% |
| 9 | Children’s picture, drawing or colouring books | 4903 | Goods | 0% |
| 10 | Maps and hydrographic or similar charts of all kinds, including atlases, wall maps, topographical plans and globes, printed | 4905 | Goods | 0% |
| 11 | Recovered waste or scrap of paper or paperboard | 4707 | Goods | 5% |
| 12 | Newsprint, in rolls or sheets | 4801 | Goods | 5% |
| 13 | [Kites, Paper mache articles] | 4823 | Goods | 5% |
| 14 | Brochures, leaflets and similar printed matter, whether or not in single sheets | 4901 | Goods | 5% |
| 15 | Uncoated paper and paperboard, of a kind used for writing, printing or other graphic purposes, and non perforated punch-cards and punch tape paper, in rolls or rectangular (including square) sheets, of any size, other than paper of heading 4801 or 4803; hand-made paper and paperboard | 4802 | Goods | 12% |
| 16 | Uncoated kraft paper and paperboard, in rolls or sheets, other than that of heading 4802 or 4803 | 4804 | Goods | 12% |
| 17 | Other uncoated paper and paperboard, in rolls or sheets, not further worked or processed than as specified in Note 3 to this Chapter | 4805 | Goods | 12% |
| 18 | Greaseproof papers | 4806 20 00 | Goods | 12% |
| 19 | Glassine papers | 4806 40 10 | Goods | 12% |
| 20 | Composite paper and paperboard (made by sticking flat layers of paper or paperboard together with an adhesive), not surface-coated or impregnated, whether or not internally reinforced, in rolls or sheets | 4807 | Goods | 12% |
| 21 | Paper and paperboard, corrugated (with or without glued flat surface sheets), creped, crinkled, embossed or perforated, in rolls or sheets, other than paper of the kind described in heading 4803 | 4808 | Goods | 12% |
| 22 | Paper and paperboard, coated on one or both sides with kaolin (China clay) or other inorganic substances, with or without a binder, and with no other coating, whether or not surface-coloured, surface-decorated or printed, in rolls or rectangular (including square) sheets of any size | 4810 | Goods | 12% |
| 23 | Aseptic packaging paper | 4811 | Goods | 12% |
| 24 | Boxes, pouches, wallets and writing compendiums, of paper or paperboard, containing an assortment of paper stationery | 4817 30 | Goods | 12% |
| 25 | Cartons, boxes and cases of corrugated paper or paper board | 4819 | Goods | 12% |
| 26 | Exercise book, graph book, & laboratory note book and notebooks | 4820 | Goods | 12% |
| 27 | Paper pulp moulded trays | 4823 | Goods | 12% |
| 28 | Paper splints for matches, whether or not waxed, Asphaltic roofing sheets | 48 | Goods | 12% |
| 29 | Plans and drawings for architectural, engineering, industrial, commercial, topographical or similar purposes, being originals drawn by hand; hand-written texts; photographic reproductions on sensitised paper and carbon copies of the foregoing | 4906 00 00 | Goods | 12% |
| 30 | Unused postage, revenue or similar stamps of current or new issue in the country in which they have, or will have, a recognised face value; stamp-impressed paper; banknotes; cheque forms; stock, share or bond certificates and 64[similar documents of title [other than Duty Credit Scrips]] | 4907 | Goods | 12% |
| 31 | Printed or illustrated postcards; printed cards bearing personal greetings, messages or announcements, whether or not illustrated, with or without envelopes or trimmings | 4909 | Goods | 12% |
| 32 | Calendars of any kind, printed, including calendar blocks | 4910 | Goods | 12% |
| 33 | Other printed matter, including printed pictures and photographs; such as Trade advertising material, Commercial catalogues and the like, printed Posters, Commercial catalogues, Printed inlay cards, Pictures, designs and photographs, Plan and drawings for architectural engineering, industrial, commercial, topographical or similar purposes reproduced with the aid of computer or any other devices | 4911 | Goods | 12% |
| Vegetable parchment, tracing papers and other glazed transparent or translucent papers, in rolls or sheets (other than greaseproof paper, glassine paper) | 4806 [Except 4806 20 00, 4806 40 10] | Goods | 18% | |
| Carbon paper, self-copy paper and other copying or transfer papers (including coated or impregnated paper for duplicator stencils or offset plates), whether or not printed, in rolls or sheets | 4809 | Goods | 18% | |
| Paper, paperboard, cellulose wadding and webs of cellulose fibres, coated, impregnated, covered, surface-coloured, surface-decorated or printed, in rolls or rectangular (including square) sheets, of any size, other than goods of the kind described in heading 4803, 4809 or 4810 [Other than aseptic packaging paper] | 4811 | Goods | 18% | |
| Filter blocks, slabs and plates, of paper pulp | 4812 | Goods | 18% | |
| Carbon paper, self-copy paper and other copying or transfer papers (other than those of heading 4809), duplicator stencils and offset plates, of paper, whether or not put up in boxes | 4816 | Goods | 18% | |
| Envelopes, letter cards, plain postcards and correspondence cards, of paper or paperboard; [other than boxes, pouches, wallets and writing compendiums, of paper or paperboard, containing an assortment of paper stationery including writing blocks] | 4817 [Except 4817 30] | Goods | 18% | |
| Registers, account books, order books, receipt books, letter pads, memorandum pads, diaries and similar articles, blotting-pads, binders (loose-leaf or other), folders, file covers, manifold business forms, interleaved carbon sets and other articles of stationary, of paper or paperboard; and book covers, of paper or paperboard [other than note books and exercise books] | 4820 | Goods | 18% | |
| Paper or paperboard labels of all kinds, whether or not printed | 4821 | Goods | 18% | |
| Bobbins, spools, cops and similar supports of paper pulp, paper or paperboard (whether or not perforated or hardened) | 4822 | Goods | 18% | |
| Other paper, paperboard, cellulose wadding and webs of cellulose fibres, cut to size or shape; other articles of paper pulp, paper, paperboard, cellulose wadding or webs of cellulose fibres [other than paper pulp moulded trays, [Braille paper, kites, Paper mache articles]] | 4823 | Goods | 18% |
* Rates as on 20/01/2018
Author’s Comment
I Trust the above would become a useful reference for all related to Printing Industry and help them undertstand law and rates better. All Constructive Queries in Comment Box Below.
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Author Bio
for printing billing sheets ,as per chapter 49, GST rate applicable is 5%, some of the printers are charging 12%, which is correct, pl reply
Pl. help i m apply in tender photocopy, std pco work but i procedure paper in job work.
our question is how to GST registered in above category ?
urgent
We are an graphic design studio where we design promotional material and get printed from the various sources such as purchase paper from paper merchants, offset printing from printers, lamination and various type of binding from other sources. How do we raise invoice to the end customer? Does our work defines us as service provider or printed goods provider?
Sir,
I am working as an accountant in a printing industry. I have some doubts in gst rates. Please clarify.
1) Printing of examination question papers with self purchased paper and material comes under which hsn and which percentage of gst.
2) Reading books for students manufactured by the printer with paper comes under which hsn code and gst rate.
hi sir i am accountant of printing press. my question is we are can purchases raw material like paper and printing inks for printing purpose. we used raw material for books printing like excempted printing and 18% printing so what i can do
Hi,
Suppose a printer has printed a magazine, content provided by the publisher, all other things including the paper is provided by the printer… then it will qualify as a service? ? I had a confusion because there are many printers who only print the data given by the customer.. some customers provide the paper some dont.. then how to identify whether goods or service?
When 9989(i) says if Goods are falling under 48/49 we can charge 12% on printing for promotional material (e.g Pharma Ind) , how to declare the same on Tax Sale invoice by the dealer (we need to quote both 9989(i) & 48/49)?
eg.4811 is using for the processing of printing.
It is very much informative.
Eg. 4811 are using for the processing of printing.
very much infomative.
Govt.Printing Industry run by State Govt. We were exempted under VAT tax to pay vat on Govt.Depts bills.However there is any provision under GST
4819 Cartons & Boxes gst Rate 12% but what about 4819 20…??
Because I have seen it on Gst CBEC website…
Please guide me…