GST: Here's a table that will help you get the tax rate on the most important items
A consolidated table of tax rates for various items
The Goods and Services Tax is finally about to be rolled out coming weekend and unfortunately for the government, who is leaving no stone unturned to take credit for the biggest tax reform, confusion rules among the small traders.
Reuters
For instance on as late as 11 June, the GST Council changed the tax rates for as many as 66 items.
The items that witnessed a change in rate included kitchen staples like pickles and mustard to agarbatti, computer printers, cashews, children drawing books and school bags.
This move came within weeks of the Council fitting over 1,200 items into one of the 5, 12, 18 and 28 percent tax slabs. The rates were revised following complaints from various quarters about high tax incidence on various goods and services.
In a relief to SMEs, the Council also increased the threshold of turnover for businesses which can opt for composition scheme to Rs 75 lakh, from Rs 50 lakh proposed earlier.
This allowed traders, manufacturers and restaurant owners with turnover below Rs 75 lakh can opt for the composition scheme and pay taxes at 1, 2, and 5 percent rates respectively.
Here's a table of tax rates on important goods and services, courtesy BMR Advisors, a tax consultancy and advisory firm:
FMCG and retail
| HSN | Description of goods | Rate |
| 1904 | Puffed rice | Nil |
| 1905 | Pappad, bread | Nil |
| Water, Tender coconut water | Nil | |
| 1901 | Mixes and dough | 5 percent |
| 1902 | Seviyan | 5 percent |
| 1905 | Pizza bread ,rusks, toasted breads | 5 percent |
| 2106 | Sweetmeats | 5 percent |
| 2009 | Fruit juices | 12 percent |
| 2101 | Roasted Chicory, roasted coffee, yeast preparations | 12 percent |
| 2106 | Namkeens in ready for consumption form | 12 percent |
| 1901-1905 | Preparations for infant use, pasta, noodles, pastries, cakes | 18 percent |
| 2001-2008 | Preserved fruits, vegetables, nuts, fruit jams | 18 percent |
| 2101-2106 | Extracts, essence and concentrates of tea or mate, sauces preparations , soups, ice-creams, food mixes including instant food mixes | 18 percent |
| 2101 | Extracts, essences and concentrates of coffee | 28 percent |
| 2106 | Food preparations not covered elsewhere, protein concentrates, custard powder | 28 percent |
| 2202 | Aerated waters containing added sugar or sweeting matter or flavor | 28 percent plus 12 percent cess |
| 8415 | Air-conditioners | 28 percent |
| 8418 | Refrigerators, freezers and other refrigerating | 28 percent |
| or freezing equipment | ||
| 1905 | Biscuits | 18 percent |
| Chapter 61 | Articles of apparel and clothing accessories, knitted or crocheted | - 5 percent if value not exceeding Rs 1000 per piece |
| - 12 percent if value exceeds Rs 1000 per piece | ||
| Chapter 62 | Articles of apparel and clothing accessories not knitted or crocheted | - 5 percent if value not exceeding Rs 1000 per piece |
| - 12 percent if value exceeds Rs 1000 per piece | ||
| Chapter 64 | Footwear gaiters and the like parts of such articles | - 5 percent if retail sales price is not exceeding Rs 500 per pair |
| - 18 percent for other categories of footwear | ||
| Chapter 42 | Articles of leather, saddlery, and harness, travel goods, handbags and similar containers; articles of animal gut | - 28 percent |
| Chapter 71 | Natural or cultured pearls, precious or semi- precious metals, metal clad with semi-precious metal and articles thereof, imitation jewellery, coin | - 3 percent |
Automobiles
| HSN | Description of goods | Rate |
| 87 | Electrically operated vehicles, including 2/ 3 wheeled electric motor vehicles | 12 percent |
| 8703 | Small Cars (length < 4 m ; Petrol < 1200 cc ) | 28 percent plus 1 percent cess |
| Small Cars (length < 4 m ; Diesel < 1500 cc) | 28 percent plus 3 percent cess | |
| Mid Segment Cars (engine < 1500 cc) | 28 percent plus 15 percent cess | |
| Large cars (> 1500 cc) | 28 percent plus 15 percent cess | |
| Sports Utility Vehicles (length > 4m ; engine > 1500 cc; ground clearance > 170 mm) | 28 percent plus 15 percent cess | |
| Mid Segment Hybrid Cars (engine < 1500 cc) | 28 percent plus 15 percent cess | |
| Hybrid motor vehicles > 1500 cc | 28 percent plus 15 percent cess | |
| Hydrogen vehicles based on fuel cell tech > 4m | 28 percent plus 15 percent cess | |
| 8708 | Parts and accessories of motor vehicles of headings 8701 to 8705 | 28 percent |
Information technology - goods
| HSN | Description | Rate |
| 8523 | Shrink Wrapped software product (on media) | 18 percent |
| 8471 | Laptops, desktops, peripherals, parts, etc | 18 percent |
| 8443 | Printers (other than multifunction printers) | 18 percent |
| 8528 | Monitors and projectors (capable of connecting to ADP) | 28 percent |
| 8517 | Majority of Networking products | 18 percent |
| 8517 | Imported mobile phones | 12 percent |
| 8517 | Domestically manufactured mobile phones | 12 percent |
Information technology - services
| Description of service | Rate |
| Temporary transfer or permitting the use or enjoyment of any Intellectual Property | 12 percent |
| Electronic supply of software | 18 percent (residuary rate) |
| Software services, ie, development, design, programming, customisation, adaptation, upgradation, enhancement, implementation of information technology software | 18 percent (residuary rate) |
| Ambiguity may arise with respect to taxability of electronic software and related services at 12 percent or 18 percent in absence of a specific entry in the rate schedule | |
| IT services including consulting, implementation, advisory | 18 percent |
Real estate - goods
| HSN | Description of goods | Rate |
| Chapter 72 | Steel | 18 percent |
| 2523 | Cement | 28 percent |
| 6802 | Marble and granite | 28 percent |
| 2515 | Blocks of marble and granite | 12 percent |
| Chapter 68 | Sand lime bricks and fly ash bricks | 12 percent |
| 2505 & 2517 | Natural sand, pebbles, gravel | 5 percent |
| 8428 | Lifts and elevators | 28 percent |
Real estate - services
| Description of service | Input tax credit | Rate |
| Construction of a complex intended for sale to a buyer, wholly or partly, where value of land is included in the amount charged from customer | Full input tax credit allowed | 12 percent |
| However, in case there is an excess input flow, no refund to be allowed | ||
| Composite works contracts (relating to immovable property) | Full input tax credit allowed | 18 percent |
Energy
| HSN | Description of goods | Rate |
| 2701 | Coal | 5 percent along plus cess at the rate of Rs 400 per tonne |
| Chapter 84 and 85 | Renewable energy devices such as solar power based devices, solar power generating system, wind mills, wind operated electricity generator | 5 percent |
| Spare parts for the manufacture of the aforementioned devices | ||
| 8541 | PV cells, modules and panels | 5 percent |
| 8417 | Industrial or laboratory furnaces and ovens, including incinerators, nonelectric | 18 percent |
| 8506 | Primary cells and primary batteries | 28 percent |
| 9801 | Project imports | 18 percent |
Hospitality
| Description of services | Credit eligibility | Rate |
| Tour operator services | Without credit | 5 percent |
| Hotel accommodation | ||
| - Hotel where declared tariff is less than Rs 1000 per day or equivalent | - | Exempt |
| - Hotel having room tariff more than Rs 1000 and less than Rs 2500 | With credit | 12 percent |
| - Hotel having room tariff more than Rs 2500 and less than Rs 5000 | With credit | 18 percent |
| - 5 star and above rated hotel where room rent is more than Rs 5000 and above per night per person | With credit | 28 percent |
| Restaurant services | ||
| - Restaurant with no AC and liquor license at anytime during the year | With credit | 12 percent |
| - AC or having heating facility or having liquor license or both | With credit | 18 percent |
| - Restaurant services in 5 star or above rated hotel | With credit | 18 percent |
| Air travel booking agent services | ||
| - Domestic bookings | With credit | 18 percent on commission or 5 percent of basic fare |
| - International bookings | With credit | 18 percent on commission or 10 percent of basic fare |
Transportation & aviation
| Description of services | Credit eligibility | Rate |
| Transportation of passengers by air for economy class | With credit of only input services | 5 percent |
| Transportation of passengers by air for other than economy class | With credit | 12 percent |
| Transport of goods by air for outbound cargo | With credit | 18 percent |
| Transport of goods by air for inbound cargo | Without credit | Exempted |
| Lease of aircrafts to scheduled airlines for scheduled operations | With credit | 5 percent |
| Passenger transport by road | ||
| - Renting of motorcab | Without credit | 5 percent |
| - Renting of motorcab (If fuel cost is borne by the service recipient) | Not specified | 18 percent |
| - Transport of passengers, by | ||
| (i) Air conditioned contract/stage carriage other than motorcab | Without credit | 5 percent |
| (ii) Radio taxi | Without credit | 5 percent |
Special category goods/ services
| HSN | Description of goods | Rate |
| Chapter 7, Chapter 10, Chapter 3 | Foodgrains, pulses, seafood including fish/shrimps, fresh fruits and vegetables | Nil |
| Chapter 9, Chapter 17, Chapter 20 | Sugar, coffee (other than instant coffee), tea and frozen fruits and vegetable | 5 percent |
| Chapter 24 | Tobacco leaves | 5 percent on a reverse charge basis |
| Chapter 24 | Other tobacco products | 28 percent |
| Cess rate may range from 71 percent to 204 percent | ||
| Chapter 24 | Cigarettes and biris | 28 percent |
| Cess rate may vary from 5 percent + Rs.1591 per thousand units to 5 percent + Rs.4170 per thousand units | ||
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