Outcome of 28th GST Council Meeting Held on 21st July, 2018

The GST Council in its 28^th meeting held here today under the Chairmanship of Shri Piyush Goyal , Union Minister for Railways , Coal , Finance & Corporate Affairs has approved the new return formats and associated changes in law. It may be recalled that in the 27^th meeting held on 4^th of May, 2018 the Council had approved the basic principles of GST return design and directed the law committee to finalize the return formats and changes in law. The formats and business process approved today were in line with the basic principles with one major change i.e the option of filing quarterly return with monthly payment of tax in a simplified return format by the small taxpayers.

Recommendations made during the 28^th Meeting of the GST Council held in New Delhi on 21st July, 2018 :

• All taxpayers excluding small taxpayers and a few exceptions like ISD etc. shall file one monthly return. The return is simple with two main tables. One for reporting outward supplies and one for availing input tax credit based on invoices uploaded by the supplier

• NIL return filers (no purchase and no sale) shall be given facility to file return by sending SMS.

• Taxpayers would have facility to create his profile based on nature of supplies made and received. The fields of information which a taxpayer would be shown and would be required to fill in the return would depend on his profile.

• The Council approved quarterly filing of return for the small taxpayers having turnover below Rs. 5 Cr as an optional facility. Quarterly return shall be similar to main return with monthly payment facility but for two kinds of registered persons – small traders making only B2C supply or making B2B + B2C supply.

• The new return design provides facility for amendment of invoice and also other details filed in the return. Amendment shall be carried out by filing of a return called amendment return.

• Payment would be allowed to be made through the amendment return as it will help save interest liability for the taxpayers.

• As a green initiative, GST on supply of e-books has been reduced from 18 to 5%.

• 5% GST is being extended to footwear having a retail sale price up to Rs. 1000 per pair. Footwear having a retail sale price exceeding Rs. 1000 per pair will continue to attract 18%

• opening of migration window for taxpayers till 31st August ,2018

• Upper limit of turnover for opting for composition scheme to be raised from Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 1.5 crore. Present limit of turnover can now be raised on the recommendations of the Council.

• Composition dealers to be allowed to supply services (other than restaurant services), for upto a value not exceeding 10% of turnover in the preceding financial year, or Rs. 5 lakhs, whichever is higher.

• Levy of GST on reverse charge mechanism on receipt of supplies from unregistered suppliers, to be applicable to only specified goods in case of certain notified classes of registered persons, on the recommendations of the GST Council.

• The threshold exemption limit for registration in the States of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Meghalaya,Sikkim and Uttarakhand To be increased to Rs. 20 Lakhs from Rs. 10 Lakhs.

• Taxpayers may opt for multiple registrations within a State/Union territory in respect of multiple places of business located within the same State/Union territory.

• Mandatory registration is required for only those e-commerce operators who are required to collect tax at source.

• Registration to remain temporarily suspended while cancellation of registration is under process, so that the taxpayer is relieved of continued compliance under the law.

• The following transactions to be treated as no supply (no tax payable) under Schedule III:
  1. Supply of goods from a place in the non-taxable territory to another place in the non-taxable territory without such goods entering into India;
  2. Supply of warehoused goods to any person before clearance for home consumption; and
  3. Supply of goods in case of high sea sales.

• Scope of input tax credit is being widened, and it would now be made available in respect of the following:
  1. Most of the activities or transactions specified in Schedule III;
  2. Motor vehicles for transportation of persons having seating capacity of more than thirteen (including driver), vessels and aircraft;
  3. Motor vehicles for transportation of money for or by a banking company or financial institution;
  4. Services of general insurance, repair and maintenance in respect of motor vehicles, vessels and aircraft on which credit is available; and
  5. Goods or services which are obligatory for an employer to provide to its employees, under any law for the time being in force.

• In case the recipient fails to pay the due amount to the supplier within 180 days from the date of issue of invoice, the input tax credit availed by the recipient will be reversed, but liability to pay interest is being done away with.

• Registered persons may issue consolidated credit/debit notes in respect of multiple invoices issued in a Financial Year.

• Amount of pre-deposit payable for filing of appeal before the Appellate Authority and the Appellate Tribunal to be capped at Rs. 25 Crores and Rs. 50 Crores, respectively.

• Commissioner to be empowered to extend the time limit for return of inputs and capital sent on job work, upto a period of one year and two years, respectively.

• Supply of services to qualify as exports, even if payment is received in Indian Rupees, where permitted by the RBI.

• Place of supply in case of job work of any treatment or process done on goods temporarily imported into India and then exported without putting them to any other use in India, to be outside India.

• Recovery can be made from distinct persons, even if present in different State/Union territories.

• The order of cross-utilisation of input tax credit is being rationalised.

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