GST: Andhra Pradesh finance minister demands exemption for textiles, fertilisers

New Delhi: Andhra Pradesh has demanded exemption for both textiles and fertilisers from the Goods and Services Tax, while the GST Council meeting here on Sunday has already decided that e-way bill will be optional. Briefing reporters here during a pause in the Council’s 17th meeting, Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said that he has requested that textiles and fertilisers be exempted from the GST. [caption id=“attachment_3011670” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. Reuters[/caption] He also said that commercial tax from all border posts will be removed from 1 July when the GST goes into operation, replacing the existing myriad central and state levies on both goods and services. Ramakrishnudu also said that the Council turned down all the other representations for revision in rates, after it had agreed to revision for a number of items at its previous meeting here on 11 June. Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar said that the e-way bill will be optional under the GST. “States which have an e-way bill structure in place can continue with it. However, since Maharashtra does not have a e-way bill facility, the state will not be implementing it,” he said. E-way bill is an electronic way bill for movement of goods which can be generated on the GST Network (GSTN) portal. Movement of goods of more than Rs 50,000 in value cannot be made by a registered person without an e-way bill. Mungantiwar also said that the structure of the proposed anti-profiteering committee has been finalised and that lottery tickets were likely to attract a tax of either 18 percent or 28 percent, the highest slabs in the four-tier new indirect tax rate structure.