The next GST Council meeting will be on 28th September 2018 via video conferencing, in which the proposal to cut rates on some items could be taken up. The GST Council may cut tax rates on cement, air conditioner and large screen televisions, reports said.
“The 30th GST Council meeting scheduled to convened on 28th September 2018 (Friday) through Video Conferencing,” the Government said in a statement.
In the 28th meeting, the Council had reduced tax rates on over 100 items in its July meeting including refrigerators, small screen color television, washing machines while leaving air conditioners, large screen TVs in the highest bracket of 28%.
The government has said that sooner or later only sin goods will be kept in the 28% GST bracket.
In the meeting, the most powerful GST Council may consider a proposal from Kerala to levy Calamity Tax, a special tax or cess to raise additional resources aimed at meeting the cost of reconstruction in Kerala in the aftermath of floods. It is learned that the Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac will bring to the table the idea of levying cess.
On August 23, Thomas Issac had said that he would approach the GST Council for a cess to finance the relief efforts.
