Goods and services tax tweak brings relief to soft drink manufacturers

Are companies using the differential in duty to tweak their products and reduce the huge tax burden?

A differential tax under the new goods and services (GST) regime for various beverages has come as a boon for some soft drink players, which are reeling from heavy taxes on aerated or carbonated drinks.
 
Coca-Cola India, which last November launched Thums Up Charged, the first variant of its iconic brand, after the government announced the GST rates, falls in the 18 per cent GST slab.
 
But its mother brand “Thums Up” and other cola drinks pay a stiff 40 per cent. The reason: Under the new GST rules, beverages that have a high level of caffeine have