Demystifying the road ahead for the rollout of GST in India

There is a lot of buzz on the GST in India again for about last 45 days or so when the Model GST Law has been announced. There are lots of discussions, views, articles on the Model GST Law on the pros and cons of the same. For GST to be a reality in the near future or a dream forever (for the obvious reason that there is no consensus among all the political parties).

This is a pic taken during my recent trip to Meghalaya

For Goods and Service Tax to be implemented in India, these are steps to be followed

1. Get all the stakeholders i.e. political parties consensus on the RNR and tax administration (seems to have been achieved to a greater extent based on the meeting of state Finance Ministers and Central Finance Minister)
2. Cabinet note to be approved for the changes proposed in the State Finance Ministers meeting on 26^th July 2016. It got approved based on the articles on various news sites.
3. As per plan allow discussion / debate agreed on in Business Advisory Committee for 5 hours in Rajya Sabha before the curtains pulled out for the monsoon session. Not listed in the list of business for 28^th July 2016 or on 29^th July 2016. Need to wait and see when the same will discussed.
4. Table the revised Constitutional Amendment Bill – One Hundred and Twenty-Second based on the cabinet note approved on 27^th July 2016 for voting and get the same passed with 2/3^rd
5. Once the bill is passed, send the same to Lok Sabha for voting, as there are changes to the bill based on the select committee recommendations and discussion based on state finance ministers meeting.
6. Once approved in Lok Sabha, the bill has to be sent to the President for his assent.
7. Since it is a Constitutional Amendment Bill at least 15 states have to pass the bill in their respective state assemblies.
8. GST Council has to be constituted and it has to conclude on the rates for GST, abatement if any, list of goods under reverse charge, negative list of goods and services, etc
9. Views of the trade, industry and citizens of the nation on The Model GST Law has to be considered and incorporated based on the suggestions given. Get the nod for the same from the State Finance Ministers on the proposed changes.
10. Formulate the same into a bill and get the Cabinet approval
11. Introduce the CGST and IGST Bills in Lok Sabha
12. CGST and IGST Bills to be passed in Rajya Sabha ( to be tabled as Finance Bill or Monetary Bill to be decided) during the Winter Session of Parliment
13. On a parallel track, the IT infrastructure of the state and central tax departments have to be scaled up to meet the GST requirements of capturing transactional level data right from the Day one. Alternatively, we can go for the summary returns in the beginning and then scale up to this level at a later point of time and amend the reports. It may look simple but will be a challenge to implement the same.
14. Training of the Tax officials of both the State and the Central to gear up for the new tax regime
15. Industry has to train its teams to brace for the changes

As of now, we have achieved only the first step, still have a long road to travel. The rollout date of GST on 1st April 2017 seems to be very ambitious. The possible dates can be 1st July 2017 or 1st Oct 2017 or 1st Jan 2018. The date of 1st Jan 2018 can also be considered if the Central Government decides to change the financial year from Apr -March to Jan – Dec, this date would be idle but can have a negative impact on the upcoming Central elections on account of inflation. Though inflation on the implementation of GST is global trend, in India we may not have as we already have taxes at higher rate.

Any views or opinions represented above are personal and belong solely to the author and do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual.

Demystifying Input Tax Credit under the Model GST Law

Input Tax Credit, the word which every business person, accountant or cost accountant loves to listen to this and also avail the same on all the purchases made for business. We have seen tax reforms in India for input tax credit under various name, MODVAT was introduced in the year 1986 on certain items with an intention of passing on the tax credit on the purchases, and it has been modified from time to time and finally CENVAT Credit Rules 2004 were introduced where the input tax credit for the Central Excise Taxes was available on most of the inputs and in case of capital goods with some conditions. The taxes levied by the state governments is known as sales tax before the introduction of VAT, and the same were not eligible for input tax credit. As a result, there is an increase in the cost of production of goods and services. When Value Added Tax was introduced, this issues is also addressed, and input tax credit was available.  In spite so many tax reforms from time to time on the input tax credit front, the trade or industry is not happy as it is very restrictive when we take a holistic approach like

1. Input tax on value added tax is not available for service providers
2. Taxes on inter-state sales, e., CST is not eligible for input tax credit
3. Inter utilization of input tax credit like VAT cannot be used for payment of Service tax or vice versa.
4. Input tax credit cannot be availed on capital goods immediately as in the case of inputs for central excise or VAT. In the case of VAT, it varies from state to state.

These were some of the challenges which the trade or industry is facing with input tax credit, but going forward under GST, the same are addressed but with some restrictions / limitation. Input tax credit under the Model GST law is given to a large extent very clearly under sections 16 to 18 of Chapter V, Section 28 and Section 29 explains the process of input tax credit, provisional claim, reversal, etc. in chapter VIII, section 37A explains the process of transfer of input tax credit and Section 147 on the transitional provisions for cenvat and VAT tax credit.

Section 2, sub-section 54 defines what are inputs  “input” means any goods other than capital goods, subject to exceptions as may be provided under this Act or the rules made thereunder, used or intended to be used by a supplier for making an outward supply in the course or furtherance of business;

The input means any goods other than capital goods used or to be intended to be used for making the supply of goods or services. It means all inputs used for making of taxable supplies are eligible for input tax credit.

Section 2, sub-section 55 defines “input service” means any service, subject to exceptions as may be provided under this Act or the rules made thereunder, used or intended to be used by a supplier for making an outward supply in the course or furtherance of business;

Input service means any service used by the taxpayer / supplier for making of outward supplies.

Section 2, sub-section 57 defines input tax “input tax” in relation to a taxable person, means the {IGST and CGST}/{IGST and SGST} charged on any supply of goods and/or services to him which are used, or are intended to be used, in the course or furtherance of his business and includes the tax payable under sub-section (3) of section 7;”

Taxes paid on the purchase of goods and services which are eligible for input tax credit are used for making the output tax liability on the supply of goods and services.

Section 2, sub-section 20 defines capital goods as “capital goods” means: –

(A) the following goods, namely:-

(i) all goods falling within Chapter 82, Chapter 84, Chapter 85, Chapter 90, heading 6805, grinding wheels and the like, and parts thereof falling under heading 6804 of the Schedule to this Act;

(ii) pollution control equipment;

(iii) components, spares and accessories of the goods specified at (i) and (ii);

(iv) moulds and dies, jigs and fixtures;

(v) refractories and refractory materials;

(vi) tubes and pipes and fittings thereof;

(vii) storage tank; and

(viii) motor vehicles other than those falling under tariff headings 8702, 8703, 8704, 8711 and their chassis but including dumpers and tippers used-

(1) at the place of business for supply of goods; or

(2) outside the place of business for generation of electricity for captive use at the place of business; or

(3) for supply of services,

 (B) motor vehicle designed for transportation of goods including their chassis registered in the name of the supplier of service, when used for

(i) supplying the service of renting of such motor vehicle; or

(ii) transportation of inputs and capital goods used for supply of service; or

(iii) supply of courier agency service;

(C) motor vehicle designed to carry passengers including their chassis, registered in the

name of the supplier of service, when used for supplying the service of-

(i) transportation of passengers; or

(ii) renting of such motor vehicle; or

(iii) imparting motor driving skills;

 (D) Components, spares and accessories of motor vehicles which are capital goods for the taxable person.

Reading the above section, it is apparent that the definition is taken from the current provisions of the central excise and replaced with few words here and there. Going forward under GST also the treatment for inputs and capital goods will be same to a large extent expect in case of definition what is capital good and what is input.

Section 16 of the Model GST Act provides the provisions for input tax credit. Similar to the age-old excise registers, RG 23 Part I / II  – A /C for tracking the input credit maintained by the assesses, we have similar concept called electronic credit ledger and this ledger is maintained by the tax authorities / infrastructure provider of GST and all the taxes paid by the suppliers for the supplies made to this tax payers gets updated in the electronic ledger, the amount can be utilized for making payment of out liability, penalty, interest, or any amount as per provisions of section 35 of the Model GST Act.

Sub-section 2 of Section 16 provides a clear mandate that in case of a business or entity which has opted for the GST registration, the taxes paid by him on the stock held by him on input, semi-finished goods and finished goods immediately on the day he is eligible to pay tax, will be eligible to take input tax credit of such goods. The reason for providing such a provision is that as the tax is being levied on the sales immediately from the date of registration, the taxes paid on his purchases. These provisions are available for the following person

1. Persons who have opted for registration on crossing of the threshold as specified under section 8, person who crosses the thresholds
2. Persons who have opted for voluntary registration in spite of not crossing the threshold limits as prescribed

The eligible input tax credit in the above cases will be computed based on the following

1. The tax invoice should not be more than 12 months old
2. The amount of tax credit eligible will be computed based on the accepted accounted principles.

What does these accepted principles mean? There is no clarity on this. Hope this will not lead to some interpretation issues from the department on the valuation and also on the amount of input tax credit.

Sub-section 5 explains about the usage of goods and services brought but used for business as well as for personal consumption.

Where the goods and/or services are used by the registered taxable person partly for the purpose of any business and partly for other purposes, the amount of credit shall be restricted to so much of the input tax as is attributable to the purposes of his business.

Illustration

A Ltd buys laptops each costing Rs 45,000 and in that he gives one of the laptops for his college going, son.

In the above case, the input tax credit is eligible for only 4 laptops as the fifth one is not used for business purpose.

Sub-section 6 explains the manner of taking input tax credit in the case in the inputs procured are used for making taxable supplies and non-taxable supplies.

Where the goods and / or services are used by the registered taxable person partly for effecting taxable supplies and partly for effecting non-taxable supplies, including exempt supplies but excluding zero-rated supplies, the amount of credit shall be restricted to so much of the input tax as is attributable to the taxable supplies including zero-rated supplies.

Illustration

XYZ Ltd is an electronic goods manufacturer and manufactures both taxable and non-taxable supplies. XYZ Ltd purchases Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and he makes industrial goods along with doors and windows for residential purpose. Industrial goods manufactured are taxable, and doors and windows used for the residential purpose are tax exempted. When PVC is purchased, it is not known who much will be used for taxable and non-taxable supplies.

The input credit on the purchase of PVC should be reversed to the extent used for manufacturing / sale of doors and windows as they are exempted from tax.

The government will notify the amount of the input tax credit to be reversed and the process to be followed in the above two cases. Based on that it has to be reversed.

In the normal course of business, the business establishment can be sold or merged, or the constitution of it can change from a partnership to the company, etc., in all such cases, the input tax credit will be allowed to be used by the new legal entity. The same is described in sub-section 8 of section 16.

Where there is a change in the constitution of a registered taxable person on account of sale, merger, demerger, amalgamation, lease or transfer of the business with the specific provision for transfer of liabilities, the said registered taxable person shall be allowed to transfer the input tax credit that remains unutilized in its books of accounts to such sold, merged, demerged, amalgamated, leased or transferred business in the manner prescribed.

Input tax credit is allowed only under the following conditions

1. The supplier of goods and services has paid the tax
2. The goods or services must be received / deemed to be received
3. The buyer / recipient is in possession of the tax invoice
4. The tax returns are filed by the supplier of goods / services
5. Input tax credit can be taken within 1 year from the date of issue of tax invoice
6. In case if input tax credit is taken on a provisional basis and the supplier does not pay the tax, the same will be reversed along with interest.
7. In case if the supplier pays the tax after reversal, then he is eligible to take the input tax credit along with the interest.

As in the current taxation, input tax credit is not allowed in some cases, and such cases are listed clearly in the Model GST law clearly under sub-section 9 and 10 of section 16.

(a) motor vehicles, except when they are supplied in the usual course of business or are used for providing the following taxable services—

(i) transportation of passengers, or

(ii) transportation of goods, or

(iii) imparting training on motor driving skills;

(b) goods and / or services provided in relation to food and beverages, outdoor catering, beauty treatment, health services, cosmetic and plastic surgery, membership of a club, health and fitness centre, life insurance, health insurance and travel benefits extended to employees on vacation such as leave or home travel concession, when such goods and/or services are used primarily for personal use or consumption of any employee;

(c) goods and/or services acquired by the principal in the execution of works contract when such contract results in construction of immovable property, other than plant and machinery;

(d) goods acquired by a principal, the property in which is not transferred (whether as goods or in some other form) to any other person, which are used in the construction of immovable property, other than plant and machinery;

(e) goods and/or services on which tax has been paid under section 8; and

(f) goods and/or services used for private or personal consumption, to the extent they are so consumed.

Sub-Section 10   Where the registered taxable person has claimed depreciation on the tax component of the cost of capital goods under the provisions of the Income Tax Act, 1961, the input tax credit shall not be allowed on the said tax component.

Section 16A of the Model GST Act lays down the procedures for claiming input tax credit for materials / capital goods sent for job work.

Section 43 of the Model GST Act, gives the procedure for job work on GST. In the normal course of business, the material is received at the taxpayers place and then the same is shipped to the job worker or subcontractor if required for further processing. In such cases where the material is shipped directly to job worker, the input credit can also be claimed, and the process is prescribed under section 16A of the Model GST Act.

Input Credit in case of Inputs

• Input tax credit on the material sent to job worker is allowed only when they are returned within 6
• Credit can be availed only if the supplier pays the tax.
• In the case of material already sent before the rollout of GST, 6 months should be computed from the accounted date of the GST rollout, mentioned in the transitional provisions of Section 150 of the Model GST Act.

Input Credit in case of Capital goods

The treatment for capital goods is different from that of the inputs for availing input tax credit.

• The input credit for capital goods can be taken if the goods capital goods is used by the job worker and the same is returned within 2 years from the date on which it is sent out to job worker.
• In case if the inputs or the capital goods are not returned within in the stipulated period, the taxpayer has to pay an equivalent amount of input tax credit availed along with interest. In such cases, interest is also required to be paid as prescribed under sub-section 1 of section 36.

The input tax credit will be allowed only if the supplies of the seller and buyer are matched, in the case of any mismatch, the same is informed to the supplier and recipient by the GSTN for rectifying the mistakes. The returns have to be matched as well as the taxes have to be paid for availing the credit. The process is mentioned in sub-section 28 and 29 of the Model GST Act.

There is a provision to take input tax credit on provisional basis by the recipient without waiting for the tax being paid by the supplier of goods or services. In such cases, the recipient has to enter these invoices manually in the GSTR -2. A window period of two months is given for matching of the records, and if the same does not happen within this period, the input tax credit taken on such invoices will be reversed along with the interest for the two months.

Once the supplier pays the same, the records will be verified and matched by GSTN, once it is matched, the recipient will be eligible to take the input tax credit along with the interest paid. The only challenge with is process is that the ratings of the recipient will be impacted as the department has taken the approach of giving ratings for all the taxpayers based on their tax payment, the filing of returns from time to time.

The taxpayer has to take a judicious call on to take the credit on the provisional basis or wait for payment of taxes till the supplier pays the taxes. In the case of the second approach, there may be some impact on the cash flows and working capital management. While making purchases or entering into contracts, the tax history of the supplier of goods and services also has to be considered along with the quality, delivery, prices and other factors. This will amount to change in the business process, and for this to be implemented, the concerned teams have to be trained accordingly.

Input Service Distributor

Under GST also there is a provision for registration as Input Service Distributor similar to the current provisions. Section 17 of the Model GST Act lays down the procedure for distribution of the input tax credit by Input Service Distributor.

The credit of CGST can be transferred as IGST input tax credit if the input service distributor and the recipient of credit are located in different States.

The credit of SGST can be transferred as IGST input tax credit if the input service distributor and the recipient of credit are located in different States.

The credit of SGST & IGST can be transferred as SGST input tax credit if the input service distributor and the recipient of credit are located in same State.

To conclude the input tax credit process is simple under GST as per the Model Law provisions but only the difference with the current regulations is that input tax credit can be availed only on payment of taxes by the supplier. The government wants to ensure that there is no revenue leakage on account of black sheep and also safeguard its revenue collections.

Utilization of Input Tax Credit

This is one the most important change in the input tax credit process compared to the current process under various tax regulations. The major drawbacks under the current tax regulations are

1. Input tax credit on all business expenses is not allowed like VAT credit is not allowed for a service provider
2. Excise / Service Tax credit, e., CENVAT Credit is not utilized for payment of VAT liability or vice versa
3. Input tax credit is not eligible for all taxes like CST applicable on interstate transactions.

All these are being addressed in the GST to a large extent with some restrictions but by large very useful for the business / industry as a whole. This will ensure that input tax credit is available in whole supply chain process seamlessly and thereby providing a feasibility of lowering the cost of goods and services and pass on the benefits to the end consumer.

Central Goods and Service Tax – input tax credit of Central Goods and Service tax has to be utilized for payment of Central Goods and Service Tax liability, and if any amount is remaining, the same can be used for payment of a liability of Integrated State Goods and Service Tax.

State Goods and Service Tax – input tax credit of State Goods and Service tax has to be utilized for payment of State Goods and Service Tax liability, and if any amount is remaining, the same can be used for payment of a liability of Integrated State Goods and Service Tax.

Integrated State Goods and Service Tax – input tax credit of Integrated Goods and Service tax has to be utilized for payment of Inter-State Goods and Service Tax liability, and if any amount is remaining, the same can be used for payment of liability of Central Goods and Service Tax and if credit is still available the same can be used for payment of liability of Inter-State Goods and Service Tax.

To conclude the input tax credit process is simple under GST as per the Model Law provisions but only the difference with the current regulations is that input tax credit can be availed only on payment of taxes by the supplier. The government wants to ensure that there is no revenue leakage on account of black sheep and also safeguard its revenue collections.

Any views or opinions represented above are personal and belong solely to the author and do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual.

These examples are based on the model law and may change based on the actual law passed.

Demystifying Supply under the Model GST Law

Currently, taxes are levied on manufacturing or removal of goods in case of central excise and on sales in case of value added tax. In the Model GST law sale or manufacturing or removal of goods is being replaced with the word “supply”. The word supply is expanding the scope for levy of tax as well as reducing the scope of interpretation. Though the word supply is a broader word compared to sales, the definition for the supply of goods and services is given very clearly under the Model Law. Since supply is being used in place of supply, taxes will be applicable on some of the transactions like branch transfers and supply of material for job work is outside the scope of supply.

In the current tax regulations in India, we have multiple taxes like Central Excise, Value Added Tax, Central Sales Tax and local levies like Octroi in few cities. There is no proper definition for sale under any of the above laws, this gives a wider scope for interpretation and raises disputes between the industry and tax regulators. If have a close look at the Central Excise Act, as per Section

2, sub-section (h) it is, “sale” and “purchase”, with their grammatical variations and cognate expressions, mean any transfer of the possession of goods by one person to another in the ordinary course of trade or business for cash or deferred payment or other valuable consideration;

As per Gujarat Value Added Tax 2005, Section 23 ,

“sale” means a sale of goods made within the State for cash or deferred payment or other valuable consideration and includes,-

(a) transfer, otherwise than in pursuance of a contract, of property in goods for cash, deferred payment or other valuable consideration,

(b) transfer of property in goods (whether as goods or in some other form) involved in execution of a works contract,

(c) delivery of goods on hire purchase or any system of payment by installments,.

(d) transfer of the right to use any goods for any purpose (whether or not for a specified period) for cash, deferred payment or other valuable consideration,

(e) supply of goods by any unincorporated association or body of persons to a member thereof for cash, deferred payment or other valuable consideration,

(f) supply of goods by a society or club or an association to its members on payment of a price or of fees or subscription or any consideration,

(g) supply of goods by way of or as part of any service or in any other manner whatsoever, of

(h) supply of goods being food or any other article for human consumption or any drink (whether or not intoxicating) where such supply or service is for cash, deferred payment or other valuable consideration,

(i) supply by way of barter of goods,

(j) disposal of goods by a person in the manner prescribed in

Explanation (iii) to clause 10 but does not include a mortgage, hypothecation, charge or pledge; and the words “sell”, “buy” and “purchase” with all their grammatical variations and cognate expressions shall be construed accordingly.

Explanation.- (i) – For the purposes of this clause, “sale within the State” includes a sale determined to be inside the State in accordance with the principles formulated in sub-section (2) of section 4 of the Central Act;

(ii) for the purpose of sub-clause (b) of the expression “works contract” means a contract for execution of works and includes such works contract as the State Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, specify;

(iii) every transfer of property in goods by the Central Government, any State Government, a statutory body or a local authority for cash, deferred payment or other valuable consideration, whether or not in the course of business, shall be deemed to be a sale for the purposes of this Act;

As per Central Sales Tax Act 1956 sale is defined as per section 2, sub-section (g ) as

“sale”, with its grammatical variations and cognate expressions, means any transfer of property in goods by one person to another for cash or deferred payment or for any other valuable consideration, and includes,–

• a transfer, otherwise than in pursuance of a contract, of property in any goods for cash, deferred payment or other valuable consideration;
• a transfer of property in goods (whether as goods or in some other form) involved in the execution of a works contract;
• a delivery of goods on hire-purchase or any system of payment by installments;
• a transfer of the right to use any goods for any purpose (whether or not for a specified period) for cash, deferred payment or other valuable consideration;
• a supply of goods by any unincorporated association or body of persons to a member thereof for cash, deferred payment or other valuable consideration;
• a supply, by way of or as part of any service or in any other manner whatsoever, of goods, being food or any other article for human consumption or any drink (whether or not intoxicating), where such supply or service, is for cash, deferred payment or other valuable consideration, but does not include a mortgage or hypothecation of or a charge or pledge on goods;

We have seen three different acts, and the meaning of sale is different, this leads to confusion on levy of taxes, say for example in the case of the lease transaction, is VAT applicable or service tax is applicable or both? It is left for the judiciary to decide the applicability and levy of tax. By going through the definitions of the lease, sales, service tax, etc. it is clear that for a lease there is a transfer of ownership, that means sales tax is leviable under Article 366(29A)(c) of Constitution and states can levy a tax on lease transactions under Entry 54 of List II.  Going forward under GST as there is only one tax for goods and services, this confusion does not arise and moreover, in the definition of supply, it is clearly mentioned supply includes Lease as per section 3 of the Model GST Act.

(1) Supply includes

(a) all forms of supply of goods and/or services such as sale, transfer, barter, exchange, license, rental, lease or disposal made or agreed to be made for a consideration by a person in the course or furtherance of business,

(b) importation of service, whether or not for a consideration and whether or not in the course or furtherance of business, and

(c) a supply specified in Schedule I, made or agreed to be made without a consideration.

Illustrations

Let’s try to understand the meaning and scope of supply with few examples

Illustration for transfer

A Ltd has a manufacturing unit in State X and sales depots in states Y & Z. A Ltd transfers it’s finished goods from factory to depots. When goods are transferred from Factory to depot GST is applicable or not?

As per the definition of Supply under Section 3, supply includes transfers, so GST is applicable on transfers also. Under the current laws only excise duty is applicable on transfers but going forward under GST even VAT, i.e., SGST is also applicable along with CGST and in the case of inter-state transfers IGST will be applicable.

Illustration for Exchange

A walk in customers enters into an Electronics Shop and wishes to buy a new laptop by exchanging his old laptop. The price of the new laptop is Rs 46,000 and under the exchange, he pays on Rs 34,000. Under GST tax payable on which amount? Rs 46,000 or Rs 34,000.

GST is payable on Rs 46,000 as the definition of the supply includes exchange, under GST on the exchange also GST is to be levied, and this is a change in the business process which retailers have to adopt it, and consumers must also accept the fact that tax has to be paid on exchanged products.

Illustration for Importation of Service

C Ltd hires services of a service engineer for one of its machinery imported for annual maintenance. Is GST applicable on this transaction?

Yes, GST is applicable on this transaction as subsection 2 of section 3 of the model GST Act clearly states that GST is applicable in the case of importation of services also.

Illustration for transfer of assets

XYZ Ltd is an IT company and uses desktops and laptops. As policy change, XYZ decides to upgrade all the desktops to laptops and decides to donate the desktops to a government school so that students there can gain computer literacy. Is GST applicable on this transaction as consideration is not being received as it is a charity?

Yes GST is applicable on this transaction as there is a transfer of business assets from XYZ’s name to the school. GST has to be levied based on the transaction price.

 Illustration for disposal of business assets

PQR Ltd wants to enhance its manufacturing capacity to retain more market share. It decides to sell the existing machinery. If GST applicable on sale of machinery?

Yes, GST is applicable on sale of old machinery as it is business asset

Illustration for temporary application of business assets for private use

B runs earth moving equipment hiring business and rents out JCB’s, procaliner, etc. on rental basis. B acquires a residential plot for construction of his house; he puts to uses one JCB at the plot to make it for leveling for the ground, is GST applicable on this transaction.

Yes, GST is applicable as the business asset is put to use for personal use, B Ltd has to pay GST on this as business and individual are different entities.

 

Schedule II of the Model GST Act explains clearly to distinguish the what is a supply of goods and what is a supply of services.

1. Transfer

(1) Any transfer of the title in goods is a supply of goods.

(2) Any transfer of goods or of right in goods or of undivided share in goods without the transfer of title thereof, is a supply of services.

(3) Any transfer of title in goods under an agreement which stipulates that property in goods will pass at a future date upon payment of full consideration as agreed, is a supply of goods.

2. Land and Building

(1) Any lease, tenancy, easement, licence to occupy land is a supply of services.

(2) Any lease or letting out of the building including a commercial, industrial or residential complex for business or commerce, either wholly or partly, is a supply of services.

3. Treatment or process

Any treatment or process which is being applied to another person’s goods is a supply of services.

4. Transfer of business assets

(1) Where goods forming part of the assets of a business are transferred or disposed of by or under the directions of the person carrying on the business so as no longer to form part of those assets, whether or not for a consideration, such transfer or disposal is a supply of goods by the person.

(2) Where, by or under the direction of a person carrying on a business, goods held or used for the purposes of the business are put to any private use or are used, or made available to any person for use, for any purpose other than a purpose of the business, whether or not for a consideration, the usage or making available of such goods is a supply of services.

(3) Where any goods, forming part of the business assets of a taxable person, are sold by any other person who has the power to do so to recover any debt owed by the taxable person, the goods shall be deemed to be supplied by the taxable person in the course or furtherance of his business.

(4) Where any person ceases to be a taxable person, any goods forming part of the assets of any business carried on by him shall be deemed to be supplied by him in the course or furtherance of his business immediately before he ceases to be a taxable person, unless—

(a) the business is transferred as a going concern to another person; or

(b) the business is carried on by a personal representative who is deemed to be a taxable person.

5. The following shall be treated as “supply of service”

(a) renting of immovable property;

(b) construction of a complex, building, civil structure or a part thereof, including a complex or building intended for sale to a buyer, wholly or partly, except where the entire consideration has been received after issuance of completion certificate, where required, by the competent authority or before its first occupation, whichever is earlier.

Explanation.- For the purposes of this clause-

(1) the expression “competent authority” means the Government or any authority authorized to issue completion certificate under any law for the time being in force and in case of non-requirement of such certificate from such authority, from any of the following, namely:–

(i) an architect registered with the Council of Architecture constituted under the Architects Act, 1972; or

(ii) a chartered engineer registered with the Institution of Engineers (India); or

(iii) a licensed surveyor of the respective local body of the city or town or village or development or planning authority;

(2) the expression “construction” includes additions, alterations, replacements or remodeling of any existing civil structure;

(c) temporary transfer or permitting the use or enjoyment of any intellectual property

right;

(d)development, design, programming, customisation, adaptation, upgradation, enhancement, implementation of information technology software;

(e)agreeing to the obligation to refrain from an act, or to tolerate an act or a situation, or to do an act;

(f) works contract including transfer of property in goods (whether as goods or in some other form) involved in the execution of a works contract;

(g) transfer of the right to use any goods for any purpose (whether or not for a specified period) for cash, deferred payment or other valuable consideration; and

(h) supply, by way of or as part of any service or in any other manner whatsoever, of goods, being food or any other article for human consumption or any drink (other than

alcoholic liquor for human consumption), where such supply or service is for cash, deferred payment or other valuable consideration.

6. The following shall be treated as supply of goods

(a) supply of goods by any unincorporated association or body of persons to a member thereof for cash, deferred payment or other valuable consideration.

In the Model GST Law tries to address lot of ambiguity we have today in the definition of what is supply of goods and services. Guidelines have been laid clearly for identifying what is supply of goods and what is supply of services and as it is a single law it also avoids the confusion of levy of taxes easily unlike the current regulations.

Any views or opinions represented above are personal and belong solely to the author and do not represent those of people, institutions or organizations that the owner may or may not be associated with in professional or personal capacity, unless explicitly stated. Any views or opinions are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual.

These examples are based on the model law and may change based on the actual law passed.