The Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution, which went into force on January 26, 1950, has three lists that served as the foundation for the indirect tax system in India up to June 30, 2017. These regulations were predicated on the Government of India Act, 1935, and the circumstances present in 1935. This framework was no longer functional due to changes in how society operated. The majority of nations have long since made progress toward a unified tax system. GST, is the tax of the twenty-first century in India.
In his Budget Speech on February 28, 2006, the country's then-Finance Minister laid the groundwork for the GST. Since then, the government has been working continuously to implement the GST, culminating in the submission of the Constitution (122nd Amendment) Bill in December 2014.
Did You Know? The GST bill will result in a long-term decrease in the price of goods since it will limit the cascading impact.
What is GST Bill?
The full form of GST is Goods and Services Tax. This bill was passed with the aim to replace a number of other indirect taxes, including the excise tax, value-added tax, services tax, etc. The Goods and Service Tax Act was approved by the Parliament on March 29, 2017, and it became effective on July 1st of that same year.
In other terms, the GST is a tax that is imposed on the provision of goods and services. India's comprehensive, multi-stage, destination-based GST law is imposed on all value additions. GST is a unified domestic indirect tax regime that applies to the entire nation.
Why is GST Bill Needed?
The cascading taxation impact on the purchase of goods and services has mostly been eliminated by the GST. The cost of commodities has been altered by the elimination of the cascading effect.
Additionally, technology plays a major role in GST. The GST portal requires that all tasks, including registration, return filing, refund requests, and notification response, be completed online, which speeds up the procedure. Eliminating the danger of undue taxes on people is yet another goal of this GST Bill.
This measure could also address tax avoidance, making corporate operations easier. To control inflation, essential goods like grain crops and agricultural items aren’t taxed.
Also Read: All You Need to Know About Advance Ruling under GST from AAR
Objectives of GST
Now that you’ve got an introduction to GST and why it was introduced, let’s move to the objectives of the new tax system. These objectives will help you understand how the new tax revamps the system.
To Achieve ‘One Nation, One Tax’
The GST has replaced several indirect levies that were in force under the former tax system. The benefit of a single tax is that each state applies the same rate to a specific good or service. Since the Central Government sets the tax rates and regulations, the tax system is made simpler. Common legislation like e-way bills for the transportation of goods and e-invoicing for transactional monitoring was introduced. Taxpayers are not burdened with numerous return forms and deadlines, which improves taxpayer compliance. It is an integrated method for complying with indirect taxes overall.
To Replace Most of the Indirect Taxes
In the past, India imposed a number of indirect taxes at various points throughout the supply chain, including Service Tax, Value Added Tax (VAT), and other Central and State taxes. The State and the Central governments each controlled different types of taxation. There wasn't a single standardised tax that applied to both goods and services. Hence, GST was consequently implemented. All of the significant indirect taxes were combined into one under the GST. It has significantly lowered the taxpayers' burdens and made it simpler for the administration to collect taxes.
To Eliminate the Cascading Effect of Taxes
Eliminating the cascading impact of taxes was one of the main goals of the GST. In the past, taxpayers could not offset the tax incentives from one tax against another. For instance, the VAT due on the sales could not be offset by the import taxes paid on purchase. Therefore, the businesses would include the import tax in the product cost. This, in turn, leads to the tax being charged on tax leading to higher processes. Only the actual worth contributed at each level in the supply chain is taxed under the GST system. In other words, the tax paid in the purchase is deducted while paying the tax collected on the sales. Due to this, input tax credits for both products and services are now flowing smoothly, and the cascading impact of taxes has been reduced.
Also Read: GST benefits - 7 Ways One Must Know How GST benefits the Economy
To Curb Tax Evasion
In India, the GST regulations are stricter than any of the previous indirect tax legislation. Invoices posted by their respective vendors are the only ones on which taxpayers under GST may receive an input tax deduction. This minimises the possibility of obtaining input tax credits on fictitious invoices. E-invoicing was also introduced, which has strengthened this goal even further. Additionally, because GST is a tax with a centralised surveillance network, it is considerably quicker and more effective to crack down on tax evaders. Therefore, the GST has significantly reduced the likelihood of tax fraud and tax evasion occurring.
To Increase the Taxpayer Base
In India, the implementation of GST has contributed to a larger tax base. Previously, the registration requirement for every tax legislation varied depending on turnover. Since the GST is a combined tax applied on both goods and services, the number of tax-registered firms has expanded. A few unorganised industries have also been brought inside the tax net thanks to the wider legislation governing input tax credits.
To Promote Competitive Pricing and Increase Consumption
Revenues from indirect taxes have increased as a result of the introduction of GST. Under the previous administration, the cascading impact of taxes led to higher costs for products in India than in international markets. Even within states, there was an imbalance in expenditures in some areas due to different VAT rates. The uniformity of GST rates has helped keep prices competitive inside India and internationally. Consequently, this has boosted demand and generated larger income, achieving yet another significant goal.
Also Read: Role of GST Software in Your Business - Explained
New Compliances Under GST
e-Way Bills
By introducing "E-way bills," the GST created a centralised structure of waybills. This system was gradually introduced on April 1st, 2017 for intra-state movement of goods and April 15th, 2017 on for inter-state movement of commodities.
Manufacturers, traders, and carriers may easily create e-way bills under the e-way bill system for items that are delivered from their origin to their destination on a shared platform. With less time spent at checkpoints and a decrease in tax evasion, this technique also benefits tax officials.
E-invoicing
Companies with an annual aggregate sales of more than ₹ 500 crore in any prior fiscal year are now required to use the e-invoicing system as of October 1, 2020. Additionally, beginning January 1, 2021, this method was made available to those having a combined yearly revenue that exceeds ₹ 100 crore.
These companies are required to register their invoices on the GSTN's invoice registration system in order to receive a special invoice reference number for each business-to-business invoice. The gateway confirms the accuracy and legitimacy of the invoice. The digital signature and a QR code are then used to authorize.
Interoperability of invoices is made possible by e-Invoicing, which also lowers data entry mistakes. The GST portal as well as the e-way bill portal will get the invoice data directly from the IRP or Invoice Registration Portal using this system. As a result, submitting GSTR-1 will no longer require manual data entry, and it also facilitates the creation of e-way invoices.
Conclusion:
India uses the Goods and Services Tax as an indirect tax on the supply of products and services, sometimes known as a consumption tax. It is a thorough, multistage, destination-based taxation. It is thorough since it has absorbed nearly all indirect taxes, with the exception of a handful of state levies. The GST is a destination-based taxation system that is collected from the point of consumption rather than the site of generation. It is a multi-staged tax that is levied at each and every stage of production. However, it is intended to be paid back to all parties involved in the various production stages other than from the end consumer.
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