Angry that the stated benefits of GST have not reached you yet as a consumer? Perhaps it's the restaurant bill, which hits your pocket just as much as it did when 18 per cent GST was levied on AC restaurants. Maybe it's regarding the sundry items you need for everyday living. Now, the government has come up with measures to stop businesses from giving you a raw deal.
The Union Cabinet on Thursday approved the setting up of the anti-profiteering authority under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime in a bid to ensure that the benefit of lower rates is passed on to consumers.
The Authority will be composed of a chairman and four technical members.
"This paves the way for the immediate establishment of the National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) which is mandated to ensure that the benefits of the reduction in GST rates are passed on to the ultimate consumers by way of a reduction in prices," a Finance Ministry release said here.
The NAA is to be headed by a Union government secretary-level officer with four technical members "from the Centre and/or the states".
Here are the key points you need to know about the new measures:
1) The anti-profiteering measures are designed to ensure that the full benefits of input tax credits and reduced GST rates on the supply of goods or services flow to the consumers.
"This institutional framework comprises the NAA, a Standing Committee, Screening Committees in every state and the Directorate General of Safeguards in the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC)," the statement said.
2) Affected consumers can apply for relief to the Screening Committee in the particular State.
3) However, in case the incident of profiteering relates to an item of mass consumption with "All India ramification", the application may be directly made to the Standing Committee.
"After forming a prima facie view that there is an element of profiteering, the Standing Committee shall refer the matter for detailed investigation to the Director General of Safeguards, CBEC, which shall report its findings to the NAA," it said.
"In the event the NAA confirms there is a necessity to apply anti-profiteering measures, it has the authority to order the supplier/business concerned to reduce its prices or return the undue benefit availed by it along with interest to the recipient of the goods or services," it added.
4) If the undue benefit cannot be refunded, the government can order it be deposited in the Consumer Welfare Fund.
5) "In extreme cases, the NAA can impose a penalty on the defaulting business entity and even order the cancellation of its registration under GST," the ministry said.
6) "The constitution of the NAA shall bolster the confidence of consumers as they reap the benefits of the recent reduction in GST rates," it added.
In the biggest revamp of the GST tax structure, the GST Council last week removed 178 items from the highest 28 per cent category while cutting the tax on all restaurants outside starred-hotels to 5 per cent but withdrawing input credit facility for them. The facility of input tax credit for restaurants was being withdrawn as they had not passed on this benefit to consumers, the government said.
Only 50 products, including luxury and sin items, white goods, cement and paints, automobiles, airplane and yacht parts have been retained in the top 28 per cent slab.
To read the full story, Subscribe Now at just Rs 249 a month
Already a subscriber? Log in
Subscribe To BS Premium
₹249
Renews automatically
₹1699₹1999
Opt for auto renewal and save Rs. 300 Renews automatically
₹1999
What you get on BS Premium?
- Unlock 30+ premium stories daily hand-picked by our editors, across devices on browser and app.
- Pick your 5 favourite companies, get a daily email with all news updates on them.
- Full access to our intuitive epaper - clip, save, share articles from any device; newspaper archives from 2006.
- Preferential invites to Business Standard events.
- Curated newsletters on markets, personal finance, policy & politics, start-ups, technology, and more.
Need More Information - write to us at assist@bsmail.in