Goods and Services Tax (GST) is an indirect tax (or consumption tax) used in India on the supply of goods and services. It is a comprehensive, multistage, destination-based tax: comprehensive because it has subsumed almost all the indirect taxes except a few state taxes. Multi-staged as it is, the GST is imposed at every step in the production process, but is meant to be refunded to all parties in the various stages of production other than the final consumer and as a destination-based tax, it is collected from point of consumption and not point of origin like previous taxes.
The GST was launched at midnight on 1 July 2017 by the President of India, and the Government of India. The launch was marked by a historic midnight (30 June – 1 July) session of both the houses of parliament convened at the Central Hall of the Parliament.
GST, which was publicised as ‘one nation, one tax’ by the government, aims to provide a simplified, single tax regime in line with the tax framework applicable in several major economies across the Globe. This single tax has helped streamline various indirect taxes and brought in more efficiencies in business.
GST law in India is a comprehensive, multi-stage, destination-based tax that is levied on every value addition.
The implementation of the GST got overwhelming support from the industry. The industry took this as an opportunity to redefine supply-chain model, customise IT processes, and evaluate internal and external arrangements to safeguard interest and minimise their tax costs.