Goods & Services Tax (GST) in India

Restructuring of the tax system has constituted a major component of fiscal reforms in India initiated since 1991. The main focus of the tax reforms has been on simplification and rationalisation 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. In the 2016-17 Union Budget, gross tax revenue of the Government has been estimated at 16,30,888 crore. Out of this, the share of taxes on goods and services (customs, excise and service tax) is 7,83,791 crore (48.1 percent) while the remaining 8,47,097 crore (51.9 percent) is contributed by direct taxes (corporation tax and income tax). The current structure of taxes on goods and services in India is highly complex, leaky (riddled with exemptions), and characterised 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). National level GST is a part of the proposed tax reforms to evolve an efficient and harmonised consumption tax system in the country. Presently, there are parallel systems of indirect taxes at the Central and State levels. Each of the systems needs to be reformed to eventually harmonise them. This book traces the evolution of taxation of goods and services (indirect taxes) in India during the post-Independence period. More importantly, it analyses the present structure of indirect taxes and the harmonisation 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.