Evolution Of Goods And Services Tax In India

Studies the evolution of GST in India since the Report of the Indirect Taxation Enquiry Committee of 1977.

Goods and Services Tax (GST) was implemented in India in July 2017, after four decades of protracted deliberations amid critical socio-economic and political challenges. GST is a comprehensive multistage value added tax (VAT) on goods and services where both central and state governments share the same tax base. Finding a suitable design for GST that encompasses taxes from both the centre and the state tax brackets makes the Indian GST unique among GST implemented in other federal countries. This book is a study of the evolution of GST in India since the Report of the Indirect Taxation Enquiry Committee of 1977. It studies the following issues on GST: a) inclusion and exclusion of taxes, b) finding a suitable mechanism to handle inter-state transactions, c) finding revenue neutrality of the tax reform, d) providing compensation to states for any possible loss of revenue due to its adoption, and e) possible scope for coordination in GST administration.

Restructuring of the tax system has constituted a major component of fiscal reforms in India since 1991. The main focus of the tax reforms has been on simplification and rationalization of both direct and indirect taxes, with the objective of augmenting revenues and removing anomalies in the tax structure. Tax reforms in recent years have brought the tax system much closer to international tax practices. The current structure of taxes on goods and services in India is highly complex, riddled with exemptions, and characterized by complicated compliance procedures. The strategy of the Government in respect of indirect taxes is to continue the tariff reforms process towards mean Asian levels of customs tariff, convergence towards a single rate of excise duty (with some exceptions), widening of service tax base, and a phased move towards a fully-integrated goods and services tax (GST). This book traces the evolution of taxation of goods and services (indirect taxes) in India during the post-Independence period. More importantly, it analyzes the present structure of indirect taxes and the harmonization measures undertaken by the Government in this regard. It also examines and sets forth core issues pertaining to the proposed national level GST which is expected to be rolled out in the near future. [Subject: India Studies, Economics, Taxation, Public Finance, Public Policy, Business]

Strictly according the the syllabus prescribed by: Himachal Pradesh University, Shimla for B.Com.-III Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar for B.Com. (Pass & Hons.), Sem.-IV Panjab University, Chandigarh for B.Com.-II, Sem.-III and BBA-II, Sem.-IV

Value Added Tax (VAT; also known as Goods and Services Tax, under the acronym GST in a number of OECD countries) has become a major source of revenue for governments around the world. Some 165 countries operated a VAT at the time of the completion of the International VAT/GST Guidelines in 2016, more than twice as many as 25 years before. As VAT continued to spread across the world, international trade in goods and services has also expanded rapidly in an increasingly globalised economy. One consequence of these developments has been the greater interaction between VAT systems, along with growing risks of double taxation and unintended non-taxation in the absence of international VAT co-ordination. The International VAT/GST Guidelines now present a set of internationally agreed standards and recommended approaches to address the issues that arise from the uncoordinated application of national VAT systems in the context of international trade. They focus in particular on trade in services and intangibles, which poses increasingly important challenges for the design and operation of VAT systems worldwide. They notably include the recommended principles and mechanisms to address the challenges for the collection of VAT on cross-border sales of digital products that had been identified in the context of the OECD/G20 Project on Base and Erosion and Profit Shifting (the BEPS Project). These Guidelines were adopted as a Recommendation by the Council of the OECD in September 2016.

Tax practitioners are unfamiliar with tax theory. Tax economists remain unfamiliar with tax law and tax administration. Most textbooks relate mainly to the US, UK or European experiences. Students in emerging economies remain unfamiliar with their own taxation history. This textbook fills those gaps. It covers the concept of taxes in regards to their rationale, principles, design, and common errors. It addresses distortions in consumer choices and production decisions caused by tax and redressals. The main principles of taxation—efficiency, equity, stabilization, revenue productivity, administrative feasibility, international neutrality—are presented and discussed. The efficiency principle requires the minimisation of distortions in the market caused by tax. Equity in taxation is another principle that is maintained through progressivity in the tax structure. Similarly, other principles have their own ramifications that are also addressed. A country’s constitutional specification of tax assignment to different levels of government—central, state, municipal—are elaborated. The UK is more centralised than the US and India. India has amended its constitution to introduce a goods and services tax (GST) covering both central and state governments. Drafting of tax law is crucial for clarity and this aspect is addressed. Furthermore, the author illustrates different types of taxes such as individual income tax, corporate income tax, wealth tax, retail sales/value added/goods and services tax, selective excises, property tax, minimum taxes such as the minimum alternate tax (MAT), cash-flow tax, financial transactions tax, fringe benefits tax, customs duties and export taxes, environment tax and global carbon tax, and user charges. An emerging concern regarding the inadequacy of international taxation of multinational corporations is covered in some detail. Structural aspects of tax administration are given particular attention.