GST Rates on Services - Decisions taken by the GST Council in the 22ndmeeting held on 6th October 2017

GST Rates on Services

Decisions taken by the GST Council in the 22ndmeeting held on 6th October 2017

The following decisions were taken by the GST Council Meeting held under Chairmanship of Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley on 6^th October,

Relief to small units:

1.      GST rates on job work services is being rationalised as follows:-

S.No	Description of Service	Rate
1	Job work services in relation to all products falling in Chapter 71 (including imitation jewellery)	5%
2	Job work services in relation to food and food products falling under Chapters 1 to 22 of the HS Code (except packing of processed milk into packets)	5%
3	Job work services in relation to products falling under Chapters 23 of the HS Code except dog and cat food put up for retail sale (CTH 23091000)	5%
4	Job work in relation to manufacture of umbrella	12%
5	Job work in relation to manufacture of clay bricks falling under CTH 69010010	5%
6	Services by way of printing on job work basis or on goods belonging to others in relation to printing of all goods falling under Chapter 48 or 49, which attract GST @ 5% or Nil [Heading 9988]	5%
7	Services by way of printing on job work basis or on goods belonging to others in relation to printing of all goods falling under Chapter 48 or 49, which attract GST @ 12% [Heading 9988]	12%
8	Services by way of printing on job work basis or on goods belonging to others in relation to printing of goods falling under Chapter 48 or 49, other than those covered by (6) and (7) above, [Heading 9988]	18%
9	Services by way of printing in relation to printing of all goods falling under Chapter 48 or 49, which attract GST @ 5% or Nil, where only content is supplied by the publisher and the physical inputs including paper used for printing belong to the printer [(Heading 9989)]	12%
10	Services by way of printing of all goods falling under Chapter 48 or 49 which attract GST @12%, where only content is supplied by the publisher and the physical inputs including paper used for printing belong to the printer	12%
11	Services by way of printing of all goods falling under Chapter 48 or 49 which attract GST @18% or above, where only content is supplied by the publisher and the physical inputs including paper used for printing belong to the printer	18%
12	To issue a clarification with regard to classification of printing products/services.

2.                  If a dealer who makes supplies of goods and services referred to in clause (b) of paragraph 6 of Schedule II of CGST Act and /or also receives interest income or makes supply of any exempt service, (s)he will not be ineligible for the Composition Scheme under Section 10 provided all other conditions are met. Further, in computing his aggregate turnover in order to determine his eligibility for composition scheme, interest income and value of supply of any exempt services shall not be taken into account. Removal of Difficulty order under section 172 of CGST/SGST/UTGST Act will be issued.

3.                  The services provided by a GTA to an unregistered person (under GST law) including unregistered casual taxable person other than the recipients liable to pay tax on GTA services under reverse charge shall be exempted from GST.

4.1       Leasing of vehicles purchased and leased prior to 1.7.2017, shall be taxed at 65% of the applicable GST + Cess rate. This reduced rate would be applicable for a period of 3 years with effect from 1^st July 2017;

4.2       The vehicles covered by the above leases (i.e. leases of vehicles purchased and leased prior to 1.7.2017), when disposed off/ sold shall also be taxed at 65% of the applicable GST + Cess rate. This reduced rate would be applicable for a period of 3 years with effect from 1^st July 2017;

4.3       Sale/supply of vehicles by a registered person, who had procured the vehicle prior to 1^st July 2017 and has not availed input tax credit of central excise duty, VAT or any other taxes paid on such vehicles, would be taxed at 65% of the applicable GST + Cess rate. This reduced rate would be applicable for a period of 3 years with effect from 1^st July 2017.

4.4       Sale by way of auction etc. of used vehicles, seized and confiscated goods, scrap etc by Central Government, State Government, Union Territory or a local authority, to any person, to be subjected to GST under reverse charge under section 9 (3) of the CGST Act.

5.    Transport of passengers by motor cab/ renting of motor cab:-

(i)     GST of 5% without ITC and 12% with full ITC available to transport of passengers by motor cab/ renting of motor cab shall be extended to any motor vehicle;

(ii) ITC of input services shall be allowed in the same line of business at GST rate of 5%

Other rate changes in services:

1.         Works contract services involving predominantly earth works (that is, constituting more than 75% of the value of the works contract) supplied to Central Government, State Governments, Local Authority, Governmental Authority or Government Entity shall be taxed at 5%.

2.         To expand the existing definition of Governmental Authority so as to include any authority set up to carry out any functions entrusted to a Panchayat under Article 243G of the Constitution.

3.         Supply of service or goods by a Government Entity to Central Government, State Government, Union Territory, Local Authority or any person specified by them against consideration received from them in the form of grants, shall be exempted.  “Government Entity” shall be defined as an authority or a board or any other body including a society, trust, corporation which is, -

(i)        set up by an Act of Parliament or State Legislature, or

(ii)      established by any government,

 with 90% or more participation by way of equity or control, to carry out a function entrusted by the Central Government, State Government or a local authority.

4.         The reduced rate of 12% on specified works contract services supplied to the Central Government, State Government, Union Territory, Local Authority and Governmental Authority shall be extended to a Government Entity, where such specified works contract services have been procured by the government entity in relation to the work entrusted to it by the Central Government, State Government, Union Territory or Local Authority.

5.         GST shall be levied @ 12% on works contract services in respect of offshore works contract relating to oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) in the offshore area beyond 12 nautical miles.

6.         GST shall be levied @ 12% with ITC or 5% without ITC for transportation of natural gas through pipeline.

7.         Exemption to annuity paid by NHAI (and State authorities or State owned development corporations for construction of roads) to concessionaires for construction of public roads.

8.            Upfront amount (called as premium, salami, cost, price, development charges or by any other name)  payable in respect of   service, by way of granting of long term lease  of thirty years, or more) of industrial plots or plots for development of infrastructure for financial business, provided by the State Government Industrial Development Corporations/ Undertakings or any other entity having 50% or more ownership  of Central Government, State Government, Union Territory to (a) industrial units or (b) developers in any industrial or financial business area, may be exempted from GST .

9.         The services provided by Overseeing Committee members to RBI shall be taxed under the reverse charge mechanism under section 9(3) of the CGST Act, 2017.

10.       Some other technical changes/amendments shall be made in notifications issued under CGST, IGST, UTGST and SGST Acts.

****

Sovereign Gold Bond Scheme 2017 -18– Series-III

Government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank of India, has decided to issue Sovereign Gold Bonds 2017-18 – Series-III. Applications for the bond will be accepted from October 09, 2017 to December 27, 2017. The Bonds will be issued on the succeeding Monday after each subscription period. The Bonds will be sold through banks, Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices and recognised stock exchanges viz., National Stock Exchange of India Limited and Bombay Stock Exchange. The features of the Bond are given below:

Sl. No.	Item	Details
1	Product name	Sovereign Gold Bond 2017-18 – Series-III
2	Issuance	To be issued by Reserve Bank India on behalf of the Government of India.
3	Eligibility	The Bonds will be restricted for sale to resident Indian entities including individuals, HUFs, Trusts, Universities and Charitable Institutions.
4	Denomination	The Bonds will be denominated in multiples of gram(s) of gold with a basic unit of 1 gram.
5	Tenor	The tenor of the Bond will be for a period of 8 years with exit option from 5th year to be exercised on the interest payment dates.
6	Minimum size	Minimum permissible investment will be 1 gram of gold.
7	Maximum limit	The maximum limit of subscribed shall be 4 KG for individual, 4 Kg for HUF and 20 Kg for trusts and similar entities per fiscal (April-March) notified by the Government from time to time.  A self-declaration to this effect will be obtained.  The annual ceiling will include bonds subscribed under different tranches during initial issuance by Government and those purchase from the Secondary Market.
8	Joint holder	In case of joint holding, the investment limit of 4 KG will be applied to the first applicant only.
9	Issue price	Price of Bond will be fixed in Indian Rupees on the basis of simple average of closing price of gold of 999 purity published by the India Bullion and Jewellers Association Limited for the last 3 business days of the week preceding the subscription period. The issue price of the Gold Bonds will be ` 50 per gram less for those who subscribe online and pay through digital mode.
10	Payment option	Payment for the Bonds will be through cash payment (upto a maximum of ` 20,000) or demand draft or cheque or electronic banking.
11	Issuance form	The Gold Bonds will be issued as Government of India Stocks under GS Act, 2006. The investors will be issued a Holding Certificate for the same. The Bonds are eligible for conversion into demat form.
12	Redemption price	The redemption price will be in Indian Rupees based on simple average of closing price of gold of 999 purity of previous 3 business days published by IBJA.
13	Sales channel	Bonds will be sold through banks, Stock Holding Corporation of India Limited (SHCIL), designated post offices as may be notified and recognised stock exchanges viz., National Stock Exchange of India Limited and Bombay Stock Exchange, either directly or through agents.
14	Interest rate	The investors will be compensated at a fixed rate of 2.50 per cent per annum payable semi-annually on the nominal value.
15	Collateral	Bonds can be used as collateral for loans. The loan-to-value (LTV) ratio is to be set equal to ordinary gold loan mandated by the Reserve Bank from time to time.
16	KYC Documentation	Know-your-customer (KYC) norms will be the same as that for purchase of physical gold. KYC documents such as Voter ID, Aadhaar card/PAN or TAN /Passport will be required.
17	Tax treatment	The interest on Gold Bonds shall be taxable as per the provision of Income Tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961). The capital gains tax arising on redemption of SGB to an individual has been exempted. The indexation benefits will be provided to long term capital gains arising to any person on transfer of bond
18	Tradability	Bonds will be tradable on stock exchanges within a fortnight of the issuance on a date as notified by the RBI.
19	SLR eligibility	The Bonds will be eligible for Statutory Liquidity Ratio purposes.
20	Commission	Commission for distribution of the bond shall be paid at the rate of 1% of the total subscription received  by  the  receiving offices and receiving offices shall share at least 50% of the commission so received with the agents or sub agents for the business procured through them.

**********

Changes in GST Rates for Goods and IGST Rates on Imports of Goods

As per discussions held in the 22^nd GST Council Meeting held under Chairmanship of Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley on 6^th October, 2017, the following changes in GST rates for certain Goods and IGST rates on Imports of specified Goods have been recommended.

A.           GST RATE FOR FOLLOWING GOODS HAVE BEEN REDUCED

S. No.	Chapter/ Heading/ Sub-heading/ Tariff item	Description	Present GST Rate	GST Rate Recommended by the GST Council
1.	0804	Mangoes sliced dried	12%	5%
2.	1905 or 2106	Khakra and plain chapati / roti	12%	5%
3.	19 or 21	Food preparations put up in unit containers and intended for free distribution to economically weaker sections of the society under a programme dulyapproved by the Central Government or any State Government, subject to specified conditions [Foot note 1]	18%	5 %
4.	21	Namkeens other than those put up in unit container and, - (a) bearing a registered brand name; or (b) bearing a brand name on which an actionable claim or enforceable right in a court of law is available [other than those where any actionable claim or enforceable right in respect of such brand name has been foregone voluntarily [Foot note 2]	12%	5%
5.	2710	Imposing GST only on the net quantity of superior kerosene oil [SKO] retained for the manufacture of Linear Alkyl Benzene [LAB]	18%	18% [Clarification to be issued]
6.	30	Ayurvedic, Unani, Siddha, Homeopathy medicines, other than those bearing a brand name [Foot note 3]	12%	5%
7.	3213	Poster Colour	28%	18%
8.	3407	Modelling paste for children amusement	28%	18%
9.	3915	Plastic waste, parings or scrap	18%	5%
10.	4004 00 00	Rubber  waste, parings or scrap	18%	5%
11.	4017 00 20	Hard Rubber waste or scrap	28%	5%
12.	4707	Paper waste or scrap	12%	5%
13.	4907	Duty credit scrips	5%	Nil
14.	5401	Sewing thread of manmade filaments, whether or not put up for retail sale	18%	12%
15.	5402, 5404, 5406	All synthetic filament yarn, such as nylon, polyester, acrylic, etc.	18%	12%
16.	5403, 5405, 5406	All artificial filament yarn, such as viscose rayon, Cuprammonium,	18%	12%
17.	5508	Sewing thread of manmade staple fibres	18%	12%
18.	5509, 5510, 5511	Yarn of manmade staple fibres	18%	12%
19.	5605	Real Zari	12%	5%
20.	6802	All goods falling under heading 6802 [other than those of marble and granite or those which attract 12% GST]	28%	18%
21.	7001	Cullet or other waste or scrap of Glass	18%	5%
22.	8305	Fittings for loose-leaf binders or files, letter clips, letter corners, paper clips, indexing tags and similar office articles, of base metal; staples in strips (for example, for offices, upholstery, packaging), of base metal	28%	18%
23.	8483	Plain Shaft Bearing 8483	28%	18%
24.	84	Parts suitable for use solely or principally with fixed Speed Diesel Engines of power not exceeding 15HP	28%	18%
25.	84 or 85	Parts suitable for use solely or principally with power driven pumps primarily designed for handling water, namely, centrifugal pumps (horizontal and vertical), deep tube-well turbine pumps, submersible pumps, axial flow and mixed flow vertical pumps	28%	18%
26.	84 or 85	E-Waste	28%/18%	5%
27.	Any Chapter	Biomass briquettes	18%	5%

Foot note;

1.      Reduction in GST rate against S. No 4 above is subject to following condition:

a)      If the supplier of such food preparations produces a certificate from an officer not below the rank of the Deputy Secretary to the Government of India or not below the rank of the Deputy Secretary to the State Government concerned to the effect that such food preparations have been distributed free to the economically weaker sections of the society under a programme duly approved by the Central Government or the State Government concerned, within five months from the date of supply of such goods or within such further period as the jurisdictional Commissioner of Central tax or jurisdictional Commissioner of State tax, as the case maybe, may allow in this regard.

2.       For S. No.5 above, the phrase registered brand name means:

a)      A brand registered as on 15.05.2017 shall be deemed to be a registered brand for the purposes of levy of 5% GST, irrespective of whether or not such brand is subsequently deregistered.

b)      A brand registered as on 15.05.2017 under the Copyright Act, 1957 shall also be treated as a registered brand for the purposes of levy of 5% GST.

c)      A brand registered as on 15.05.2017 under any law for the time being in force in any other country shall also be deemed to be a registered brand for the purposes of levy of 5% GST.

3.      For S. No. 7 above, the phrase “brand name” is defined as:

"brand name" or "trade name" means a brand name or a trade name, whether registered or not, that is to say, a name or a mark, such as symbol, monogram, label, signature or invented word or writing which is used in relation to such specified goods for the purpose of indicating, or so as to indicate a connection in the course of trade between such specified goods and some person using such name or mark with or without any indication of the identity of that person.

B.     IGST EXEMPTION ON IMPORTS OF GOODS:

S. No	Description	Present applicable IGST rate	Recommended IGST rate
1	IGST exemption on imports of rigs imported for oil / gas exploration and production projects under lease, subject to the following conditions that: (i)       Integrated tax leviable under section 5(1) of the IGST Act, 2017 on supply of service covered by item 1(b) or 5(f) of Schedule II of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017; (ii)     The rig is not sold without the prior permission of the Commissioner of Customs of the port of importation; (iii)   to re-export the goods within 3 months from the expiry of the period for which they were supplied under a transaction covered by item 1(b) or 5(f) of Schedule II of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 out of India; (iv)   to pay on demand an amount equal to the integrated tax payable on the said goods but for the exemption under this notification in the event of violation of any of the above conditions and applicable interest.	5%	Nil
2	Exemption from IGST on imports of medicines supplied free by international agencies like UNICEF, WHO, Red Cross etc.	12%/5%	Nil
3	A.    Exemption from IGST on imports of bona fide gifts upto CIF value limit of Rs. 5000 imported through post or air.	28%	Nil

**********

Recommendations made by the GST Council in its 22nd Meeting held today under Chairmanship of the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley in the national capital.

The GST Council, in its 22^nd Meeting which was held today in the national capital under Chairmanship of the Union Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs, Shri Arun Jaitley has recommended the following facilitative changes to ease the burden of compliance on small and medium businesses:

 Composition Scheme

1.      The composition scheme shall be made available to taxpayers having annual aggregate turnover of up to Rs. 1 crore as compared to the current turnover threshold of Rs. 75 lacs. This threshold of turnover for special category States, except Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand, shall be increased to Rs. 75 lacs from Rs. 50 lacs. The turnover threshold for Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand shall be Rs. 1 crore. The facility of availing composition under the increased threshold shall be available to both migrated and new taxpayers up to 31.03.2018. The option once exercised shall become operational from the first day of the month immediately succeeding the month in which the option to avail the composition scheme is exercised. New entrants to this scheme shall have to file the return in FORM GSTR-4 only for that portion of the quarter from when the scheme becomes operational and shall file returns as a normal taxpayer for the preceding tax period. The increase in the turnover threshold will make it possible for greater number of taxpayers to avail the benefit of easier compliance under the composition scheme and is expected to greatly benefit the MSME sector.

2.      Persons who are otherwise eligible for composition scheme but are providing any exempt service (such as extending deposits to banks for which interest is being received) were being considered ineligible for the said scheme. It has been decided that such persons who are otherwise eligible for availing the composition scheme and are providing any exempt service, shall be eligible for the composition scheme.

  3.      A Group of Ministers (GoM) shall be constituted to examine measures to make the composition scheme more attractive.

 Relief for Small and Medium Enterprises

4.      Presently, anyone making inter-state taxable supplies, except inter-State job worker, is compulsorily required to register, irrespective of turnover.  It has now been decided to exempt those service providers whose annual aggregate turnover is less than Rs. 20 lacs (Rs. 10 lacs in special category states except J & K) from obtaining registration even if they are making inter-State taxable supplies of services. This measure is expected to significantly reduce the compliance cost of small service providers.

5.      To facilitate the ease of payment and return filing for small and medium businesses with annual aggregate turnover up to Rs. 1.5 crores, it has been decided that such taxpayers shall be required to file quarterly returns in FORM GSTR-1,2 & 3 and pay taxes only on a quarterly basis, starting from the Third Quarter of this Financial Year i.e. October-December, 2017. The registered buyers from such small taxpayers would be eligible to avail ITC on a monthly basis. The due dates for filing the quarterly returns for such taxpayers shall be announced in due course. Meanwhile, all taxpayers will be required to file FORM GSTR-3B on a monthly basis till December, 2017. All taxpayers are also required to file FORM GSTR-1, 2 & 3 for the months of July, August and September, 2017. Due dates for filing the returns for the month of July, 2017 have already been announced. The due dates for the months of August and September, 2017 will be announced in due course.

6.      The reverse charge mechanism under sub-section (4) of section 9 of the CGST Act, 2017 and under sub-section (4) of section 5 of the IGST Act, 2017 shall be suspended till 31.03.2018 and will be reviewed by a committee of experts. This will benefit small businesses and substantially reduce compliance costs.

7.      The requirement to pay GST on advances received is also proving to be burdensome for small dealers and manufacturers. In order to mitigate their inconvenience on this account, it has been decided that taxpayers having annual aggregate turnover up to Rs. 1.5 crores shall not be required to pay GST at the time of receipt of advances on account of supply of goods. The GST on such supplies shall be payable only when the supply of goods is made.

8.      It has come to light that Goods Transport Agencies (GTAs) are not willing to provide services to unregistered persons. In order to remove the hardship being faced by small unregistered businesses on this account, the services provided by a GTA to an unregistered person shall be exempted from GST.

Other Facilitation Measures

9.      After assessing the readiness of the trade, industry and Government departments, it has been decided that registration and operationalization of TDS/TCS provisions shall be postponed till 31.03.2018.

10.  The e-way bill system shall be introduced in a staggered manner with effect from 01.01.2018 and shall be rolled out nationwide with effect from 01.04.2018. This is in order to give trade and industry more time to acclimatize itself with the GST regime. 

11.  The last date for filing the return in FORM GSTR-4 by a taxpayer under composition scheme for the quarter July-September, 2017 shall be extended to 15.11.2017. Also, the last date for filing the return in FORM GSTR-6 by an input service distributor for the months of July, August and September, 2017 shall be extended to 15.11.2017.

12.  Invoice Rules are being modified to provide relief to certain classes of registered persons.

************************

Framing of rules in respect of Country-by-Country reporting and furnishing of master file – comments and suggestions thereof

  In keeping with India’s commitment to implement the recommendations of 2015 Final Report on Action 13, titled “Transfer Pricing Documentation and Country-by-Country Reporting”, identified under the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) Project, Section 286 of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (‘the Act’) was inserted vide Finance Act, 2016, providing for furnishing of a Country-by-Country report in respect of an international group by its constituent or parent entity. Section 92D of the Act was also amended vide Finance Act, 2016 to provide for keeping and maintaining of Master File by every constituent entity of an international group, which was to be furnished as per rules prescribed in this regard.

       Accordingly, subsequent to the aforesaid amendments to the Act, it is proposed to insert rules 10DA, 10DB and form nos. 3CEBA to 3CEBE in the Income-tax Rules, 1962 (‘the Rules’), laying down the guidelines for maintaining and furnishing of transfer pricing documentation in the Master File and Country-by-Country report.

       In this regard, draft notification providing for the insertion of rules 10DA & 10DB and form nos. 3CEBA to 3CEBE has been framed and uploaded on the website of the Department www.incometaxindia.gov.in for comments from stakeholders and general public. The comments and suggestions on the draft rules may be sent by 16th October, 2017 electronically at the email address dirtpl1@nic.in.

           

*****

Relief Package for Exporters – Recommendations of the 22^nd GST Council Meeting.

            The GST Council under Chairmanship of Union Finance Minister Shri Arun Jaitley has in its 22nd Meeting held at Delhi today approved a major relief package for exporters.

Mindful of the difficulties faced by exporters post-GST leading to a decline in export performance and export competitiveness, the Council had last month set up a high power Committee on Exports under Revenue Secretary Shri Hasmukh Adhia to recommend suitable strategies for helping this sector. This Committee had five senior Government functionaries from the Centre and an equal number from the States as members.

After wide ranging discussions with major Export Promotion Councils including FIEO, AEPC, GJEPC, EEPC, CLE, CHEMEXIL, PARMAEXCIL and Handicrafts EPC etc. and interacting with all stakeholders the Committee presented its recommendations to the Council today.

The Council identified the major difficulties constraining the export sector are on account of delays in refunds of IGST and input taxes on exports and working capital blockage as exporters have to upfront pay GST on inputs and capital goods for export production or for procuring goods for export. Another difficulty was that the duty credit scrips such as MEIS was losing value due to its reduced usability as it could no longer be used to pay IGST / GST.

The Council was unanimous that it is in the national interest to take all possible measures to support the exporting community, which earns valuable foreign exchange and provides significant employment especially in the small and medium sector. Accordingly, the Council approved the following package of relief and incentives for exporters with immediate affect:–

a.       Within the next 4 days i.e. by 10.10.2017 the held-up refund of IGST paid on goods exported outside India in July would begin to be paid. The August backlog would get cleared from 18.10.2017 and refunds for subsequent months would be handled expeditiously. Other refunds of IGST paid on supplies to SEZs and of inputs taxes on exports under Bond/LUT, shall be processed from 18.10.2017 onwards. For this, the Council agreed to suitably empower Central and State GST officers so that exporters get refunds from one authority only. Related matters of settlement of funds are being resolved.        

b.       To prevent cash blockage of exporters due to upfront payment of GST on inputs etc. the Council approved two proposals, one for immediate relief and the other for providing long term support to exporters. Immediate relief is being given by extending the Advance Authorization (AA) / Export Promotion Capital Goods (EPCG) / 100% EOU schemes to sourcing inputs etc. from abroad as well as domestic suppliers. Holders of AA / EPCG and EOUs would not have to pay IGST, Cess etc. on imports. Also, domestic supplies to holders of AA / EPCG and EOUs would be treated as deemed exports under Section 147 of CGST/SGST Act and refund of tax paid on such supplies given to the supplier.

c.       Merchant exporters will now have to pay nominal GST of 0.1% for procuring goods from domestic suppliers for export. The details would be released soon.

d.      The permanent solution to cash blockage is that of "e-Wallet" which would be credited with a notional amount as if it is an advance refund. This credit would be used to pay IGST, GST etc. The details of this facility would be worked out soon. The Council desired that the “e-Wallet” solution should be made operational w.e.f. 1^st April 2018.

e.       Exporters have been exempted from furnishing Bond and Bank Guarantee when they clear goods for export.

f.       Specified banks and Public Sector Units (PSUs) are being allowed to import Gold without payment of IGST. This can then be supplied to exporters as per a scheme similar to Advance Authorization.

g.       To restore the lost incentive on sale of duty credit scrips, the GST on sale-purchase of these scrips is being reduced from 5% to 0%.

h.       GST on bunker fuel is being reduced to 5% for both coastal vessels and foreign going vessels. This will boost coastal shipping. It will also improve India's competitiveness. 

The Council is confident that these measures would provide immediate relief to the export sector and enhance export competitiveness of India. The Council also decided to continue to monitor the situation closely so that going forward all required support continues to be extended to this important sector.

***

Government rescinds the Notification No. 4/2017 dated 23^rd August, 2017 relating to Gems and Jewellery sector; Another notification will be issued separately in due course.

The Government has received representations from various Associations in the Gems and Jewellery sector with respect to certain incongruities in Notification No. 4/2017 dated 23rd August, 2017, wherein dealers in precious metals, precious stones and other high value goods were notified as person carrying on designated business and professions under the Prevention of Money-Laundering Act, 2002. After considering various aspects of the issue, the Government has decided to rescind the said notification.

A separate notification after due consideration of points raised and wider stakeholder consultation in this regard, shall be issued in due course.