Separately, the report citing sources said, the government is also looking at the possibility of paring the levy on several items that attract high taxes but do not yield much revenue for the government. “It’s 80:20 formula, with 80% of the revenue coming from a handful of goods and only small amounts collected from bulk of the items. We will look to reduce rates in the coming months, while ensuring that the chain is not broken,” an anonymous source told TOI.
The move to reduce rates on construction material could come soon and will provide a fillip to the sector battling a slowdown. The slowdown has also adversely impacted job generation, a key concern for the Modi government in the run-up to next summer’s general elections. There are several product segments, such as textiles, where the inputs face higher levies than the final product, creating an inverted duty structure and adding to the manufacturers’ woes as the levies are not fully refunded.
While a plan to reduce the rates on cement was on the table in November when the GST Council met in Guwahati, it was dropped as the rate cuts had already left an over Rs 20,000-crore hole. At that time, the government had slashed taxes on over 200 items, the levy on 176 items reduced from 28% to 18%, leaving just 50 in the highest slab.
Separately, the report citing sources said, the government is also looking at the possibility of paring the levy on several items that attract high taxes but do not yield much revenue for the government. “It’s 80:20 formula, with 80% of the revenue coming from a handful of goods and only small amounts collected from bulk of the items. We will look to reduce rates in the coming months, while ensuring that the chain is not broken,” an anonymous source told TOI.
The move to reduce rates on construction material could come soon and will provide a fillip to the sector battling a slowdown. The slowdown has also adversely impacted job generation, a key concern for the Modi government in the run-up to next summer’s general elections. There are several product segments, such as textiles, where the inputs face higher levies than the final product, creating an inverted duty structure and adding to the manufacturers’ woes as the levies are not fully refunded.
While a plan to reduce the rates on cement was on the table in November when the GST Council met in Guwahati, it was dropped as the rate cuts had already left an over Rs 20,000-crore hole. At that time, the government had slashed taxes on over 200 items, the levy on 176 items reduced from 28% to 18%, leaving just 50 in the highest slab.