Revised GST rates kick-in today; Here is a list of items that’ll get costlier

Guwahati: Consumers may have to shell out more as several goods and services will cost higher from July 18 onwards with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council approving rate hike to address inverted duty structures and withdrawing some exemptions.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said any increase in GST rates is intended to make up for “inefficiencies” in the value chain.

The minister had said that there was no opposition from any state on rate changes. “The Fitment Committee’s suggestions before the GST Council were considered in full, and more or less, all of them have been accepted,” she said.

List of items that will get costlier:

Here’s a list of household items that will get more expensive from Monday, July 18:

• Curd, Lassi, Buttermilk (5% GST)
• Paneer (5% GST)
• Jaggery of all types including Cane Jaggery (gur), Palmyra Jaggery (5% GST)
• Khandsari Sugar (5% GST)
• Natural Honey (5% GST)
• Puffed rice (Muri), flattened or beaten rice, (Chira), parched rice (khoi), rice coated with
  sugar (Murki) (5% GST)
• Rice, Wheat, Rye, Barley, Oats (5% GST)
• Wheat & Meslin Flour (5% GST)
• Tender coconut water (12% GST)
• Rice Flour (5% GST)
• LED lamps; ink, knives, blades, pencil sharpener, blades, spoons, forks, ladles, skimmers, skimmers, cake servers; printing, writing and drawing ink; fixture and their metal printed circuits board by 18 per cent.
• Power-driven pumps, bicycle pumps, dairy machinery by 18 per cent.
• Machines used for cleaning, sorting, grading seeds, and grain pulses; machines used in milling/cereals industry; air-based atta chakki and wet grinder by 18 per cent.
• Cheques, lose or in book form by 18%
• Solar water heater and system by 12%
• Leather (prepared, finished, chamois and composition) by 12%
• Printed maps and charts of all kinds by 12%
• 12% GST on hotel accommodation priced up to Rs 1,000 per day
• Room rent, except ICU, more than Rs 5,000 per day patient charged by a hospital taxed 5% to the extent of charge of the room without ITC
• Works contract for roads, bridges, railways, metro, effluent treatment plant, crematorium and others by 18%
• 18% GST for work contract for historical monuments, canals, dams, pipelines, plants for water supply, educational institutions, hospitals etc supplied to central,m state goverments and local authorities and sub-contractor thereof
• Works contract supplied to central and state governments, union territories & local authorities for earthwork and sub-contracts thereof 12%

Things that would go cheaper:

• Taxes will be cut on on ostomy appliances and on transport of goods and passengers by ropeways to 5 per cent from July 18, from 12 per cent.
• Renting of truck, goods carriage where the cost of fuel is included will now attract a lower 12 per cent rate as against 18 per cent.
• GST exemption on the transport of passengers by air to and from northeastern states and Bagdogra will be restricted to economy class only.
• Electric vehicles, whether or not fitted with a battery pack, would be eligible for the concessional GST rate of 5 per cent from July 18.