<ul><li>Decriminalisation of offences under the GST law, setting up appellate tribunals and mechanism to curb tax evasion in pan masala, gutkha businesses among the issues to be discussed.</li><li>Besides, GST on online gaming and casinos may come up for deliberations at the Council meeting.</li><li>With regard to taxation of online gaming, casinos and horse racing, the GoM, in its last meeting in November, had agreed on a 28 per cent GST on these segments.</li></ul> Decriminalisation of offences under the GST law, setting up appellate tribunals and mechanism to curb tax evasion in pan masala and gutkha businesses are among the issues slated to be discussed in the <keyword id="3680839" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gst-council-meeting" source="Orion">GST Council meeting</keyword> which began on Saturday morning. Besides, GST on online gaming and casinos may come up for deliberations at the Council meeting. The Group of Ministers (GoM), chaired by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, set up last year on the issue had submitted its report to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday. The Council would also consider a report of tax officers and give clarity on the rate applicability in certain goods and services. "Union Finance Minister Smt. @nsitharaman chairs the 48th meeting of the GST Council via virtual mode, in New Delhi, today," the finance ministry tweeted. With regard to decriminalisation of offences, the law committee of the GST Council, comprising tax officers from the Centre and states, has suggested to the Council to increase the monetary threshold for launching prosecution for GST offences. The law committee has also suggested that the fee payable by taxpayer for compounding of GST offences be lowered to 25 per cent of the tax amount, from up to 150 per cent currently, with a view to improving ease of doing business. It has suggested raising the threshold of launching prosecution to Rs 20 crore, from Rs 5 crore at present. Launching of prosecution by taxmen means commencement of legal proceedings against the offender. The report of the GoM on tax evasion by pan masala and gutkha companies is likely to be taken up for discussion in the Council, sources said. With regard to setting up of Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunals (GSTATs), the GoM has suggested that the tribunals should consist of two judicial members, and one technical member each from the Centre and states, besides a retired Supreme Court judge as President, sources said. The GoM on GSTATs was set up in July under the chairmanship of Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala. With regard to taxation of online gaming, casinos and horse racing, the GoM, in its last meeting in November, had agreed on a 28 per cent GST on these segments. However, in absence of consensus on whether the tax should be levied on only the fees charged by the portal or the entire consideration, including the bet amount, received from participants, the GoM had decided to refer all suggestions to the GST Council for a final decision. Currently, online gaming attracts 18 per cent GST. The tax is levied on gross gaming revenue, which is the fees charged by online gaming portals. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/how-indians-have-spent-their-money-on-swiggy-in-2022/slidelist/96285686.cms">Spending ₹75,000 on an order to buying groceries worth ₹16.6 lakh, here’s how Indians used Swiggy in 2022</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/upcoming-electric-scooters-in-india-in-2023/articleshow/96278794.cms">From Suzuki and TVS to Hero Electric: Here are some of the top electric scooters expected to launch in 2023</a>

GST Council meet: decriminalisation, tax evasion in pan masala, gutkha biz on agenda

<img class="gwt-Image" src="/photo/57671591.cms" />There was a massive jump in <keyword id="875425" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="excise-duty-on-petrol">excise duty on petrol</keyword> and high-speed <keyword id="6356109" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="diesel">diesel</keyword> in 2015-16, which helped Indian government make almost 40% of its earning through indirect tax. 
 In comparison, the amount was 34% of the total <keyword id="6393721" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Indirect-Taxes">indirect taxes</keyword> the previous year. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Petrol-diesel-sales-go-up-post-demonetisation-as-people-rushed-to-tank-up-fuel-with-old-notes/articleshow/55935415.cms">Petrol, diesel sales go up post demonetisation as people rushed to tank up fuel with old notes</a> 
 A <keyword id="4299084" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="CAG-study">CAG study</keyword> showed that there was almost 70% rise in the union excise duty collection, which stood from Rs 1.69 lakh crore during 2013-14 to Rs 2.87 lakh crore in 2015-16, out of which a major part came from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Indian-Oil-Corp-hikes-petrol-diesel-prices/articleshow/46259052.cms">petrol, diesel</a>, cigarettes and gutka. 
 
Excise revenue from petroleum products contributed to 52% of collections in 2013-14, and went up to almost 69% during 2015-16. This happened because the government <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Litre/articleshow/45728835.cms">increased levies</a> on <keyword id="6367091" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="Petrol">petrol</keyword> and high-speed diesel from Rs 1.2 per litre and Rs 1.46 per litre to Rs 8.95 per litre and Rs 7.96 per litre, respectively, owing to falling global prices. 
 
Also read: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Now-anyone-can-have-a-petrol-pump-in-India/articleshow/48328630.cms">Now anyone can have a petrol pump in India!</a> 
 
In 2015-16, government collected Rs 1.99 lakh crore revenue from <a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/Diesel-And-PetrolDeregularised-Does-It-Spell-Doom-Or-Boom/articleshow/44885522.cms">petroleum products</a>, and from at Rs 21,000 crore sin goods (mainly tobacco products). 
 
The CAG report highlighted how exemptions are making the government lose money. More than Rs 2 lakh crore of revenue was foregone because of exemptions, which CAG said need to be rationalised. 
 
(Image source: Telangana Today)

Centre got 40% of its indirect taxes from levies on petrol and diesel

<ul><li>The government's efforts have led to a reduction of 8.1 million smokers between 2009 and 2017. </li><li>Over 103 million adults and 625,000 <keyword id="6354493" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="children">children</keyword> still smoke on a daily basis.</li><li><keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword> needs to raise taxes further, crack down on illegal <keyword id="6361871" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="tobacco">tobacco</keyword> sales and do a better job of implementing the guidelines of the National Tobacco Control Program. </li></ul>The WHO’s Global Adult Tobacco Survey estimated that the total number of smokers in India fell by 8.1 million between 2009 and 2017. Yet, 625,000 children still use tobacco in the country on a daily basis. According to the Tobacco Atlas, a report compiled by the American Cancer Society and Vital Strategies, <a href="https://tobaccoatlas.org/wp-content/uploads/pdf/india-country-facts.pdf">103.6 million</a> people in India over the age of 15 consumed tobacco every day as of 2015, 87% of which were men. The results indicate that over 20% of India’s male population smokes compared to 2% of its females. Worse still, the report shows that the habit starts at a young age. Over half a million children between the age of 10 and 14 years also smoke on a daily basis. Nearly 70% of this figure is accounted for by boys, which indicates that the proportion of female smokers could increase in the future. While the report maintains that there are fewer deaths from <keyword id="6357278" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Smoking">smoking</keyword> in India in comparison to countries with similar levels of human development, around 13,452 men and 4,435 women die every week owing to smoking-related issues, amounting to 930,000 annual deaths. The direct <keyword id="6354750" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="health">health</keyword> costs and indirect costs such as lost productivity were pegged at 1.8 trillion rupees. India has cracked down on tobacco use in recent years. The government has implemented measures such as a graphic pictorial warning that covers 85% of the package, higher duties on cigarettes and a ban on smoking in educational institutions, government facilities and hospitals. It has also made anti-tobacco advertising spots, which are distinguished by their appallingly low production value, a regular fixture at the cinema and on television. So, despite efforts by various governments, more work remains to be done. What can India do to further? “There needs to be greater intervention at the ground level,” according to Dr Srinivas Ramaka, a noted cardiologist and tobacco control advocate. He says that the government has fallen short in implementing the guidelines of the <a href="https://mohfw.gov.in/major-programmes/other-national-health-programmes/national-tobacco-control-programme-ntcp">National Tobacco Control Program</a> (NTCP). Under the guidelines, there should be a Tobacco Control Cell in hospitals at the district level, which offers counselling and medical services for patients who wish to quit smoking. Srinivas also cited the sale of illegal forms of tobacco, noting that it was an issue for the police to address. Even though gutka (oral tobacco) is banned, his patients are often able to buy the harmful mixture for as low as Rs. 5 in “loose form”, he said. India needs to do a better job of targeting bidis, which are hand-rolled cigarettes. Unlike most countries where cigarettes account for a high proportion of tobacco usage, branded cigarettes comprise only <a href="http://www.tiionline.org/facts-sheets/tobacco-consumption/">11% </a>of tobacco consumption in India, according to the Tobacco Institute of India. Srinivas said that the government needs to provide bidi-rollers with alternative modes of employment through skill training programmes. Tobacco cultivators should also be incentivised to grow different crops that offer similar margins, as per NTCP guidelines. Finally, taxes need to be raised on all forms of tobacco as the WHO states that this is one of the only proven ways to reduce tobacco consumption, especially among the poor, under its <a href="http://www.who.int/tobacco/mpower/mpower_report_six_policies_2008.pdf">MPOWER</a> policy. The Tobacco Atlas estimates that only 26.5% of a tobacco product’s retail price in India is attributable to excise taxes. The WHO says that at least 70% of the price of a pack of cigarettes should be covered by taxes. Being the second-largest consumer of tobacco in the world, India has the power to raise taxes on tobacco products further.

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GST Council meet: decriminalisation, tax evasion in pan masala, gutkha biz on agenda

PTI

Centre got 40% of its indirect taxes from levies on petrol and diesel

BI India Bureau

Despite government efforts, 625,000 Indian children still use tobacco daily

Dilsher Dhillon

Insurance Cover: Which Term Plan Is For You ?

Economic Times