New service tax regime to make speed post, holidaying costlier
Listen to this Article
Speed post and express parcel service of post office, earnings of TV and theatre artists will come under the 12% service tax bracket from Sunday with the government embracing the new service tax regime based on negative list. From now, with the exception of 38 services, which figure in the negative list, all other activities would attract 12% tax.
Besides, air tickets and overseas holiday package bought from online portals would be subject to the levy.
Also tests like GMAT and GRE would get more expensive as the institutions which conduct these exams would be subject to tax. However, entrance tests of institutions such as IITs and IIMs will be exempted from the levy.
While private tuition providers will now be subject to service tax if their annual turnover exceeds Rs. 10 lakh, although the tax will not be levied on school, university education and approved vocational courses.
As per the negative list, services like metered taxis, auto rickshaws, betting, gambling, lottery, entry to amusement parks, transport of goods or passengers and electricity transmission or distribution by discoms have been kept in the negative list.
Other important services which will not attract the tax include funeral, burial, mutate services and transport of deceased.
However, rail freight and passenger fares are kept out of the ambit for the time being after railway minister Mukul Roy wrote to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is now looking after the finance portfolio, requesting him not to introduce service tax on passenger fare and freight traffic from July 1.
The government has widened the definition of 'Services' to bring in more activities under the tax net. Till now, 119 services that come under 'positive list' are subject to the levy.
The switch-over to a negative list would help in smooth transition towards the Goods and Service Tax (GST) regime and would also expand the tax base. This is also expected to increase the Centre's Service Tax collection to Rs. 1.24 lakh crore in 2012-13, up from Rs. 97,000 crore in the last fiscal
Besides, services provided to the government, local authorities or a government authority for the repair and maintenance of an aircraft would also come in the negative list.
Also, services provided by advocates to other advocates and business entities up to a turnover of Rs. 10 lakh in the preceding financial year is exempt from service tax.
Services provided by way of public convenience such as provision of facilities of bathroom, washroom, urinals or toilets would be included in the negative list.
The other services which would be exempted from tax include auxiliary educational services and renting of immovable property by educational institutions in respect of education exempt from service tax.
Besides, services relating to works contract to a scheme under JNNURM or Rajiv Awas Yojana would also come under the negative list. (PTI)
Category : Service Tax | Comments : 0 | Hits : 411
In a setback to the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust, the Supreme Court on Friday upheld an appellate tribunal’s ruling that the organisation is liable to pay service tax for charging an entry fee for organising Yoga camps, both residential and non-residential. A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan refused to interfere with the October 5, 2023 decision of the Allahabad bench of the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT).The bench, while dismissing the Trust&rsquo...
The High Court recently imposed an ‘exemplary cost’ of Rs 1 lakh on the Commissioner of Service Tax (Appeals) Suresh Kumar, which he has to pay “from his personal funds”. The fine came after what the HC termed was a “total callous, negligent and disrespectful behaviour shown by the Departmental authorities in this Court”. The Department had failed to follow a tax Tribunal order to refund tax to a company. Instead, it went on to reject the Tribunal order and...
In a relief to IT companies, government has set aside a 10,000 crore rupee service tax demand notices on IT companies. In a statement, the Finance Ministry said, as a result, apprehensions about the negative effects on the software industry are without basis. The government's move came a day after IT companies raised the issue of tax demand with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley during the pre-budget consultations. The tax department had slapped service tax demand notices on about 200 info...
In order to clear the pendency of cases as on 30th June 2017 before the Commissioners of Central Excise and Service Tax (Appeals), the CBEC will redistribute the cases pending in the jurisdiction of a Principal Chief Commissioner / Chief Commissioner of Central Excise and Service Tax, among other Commissioner rank officers posted in that jurisdiction. A notification and circular have been issued in this regard. #casansaar (Source - PIB)
Certain transitional issues arising with respect to payment of service tax after 30th June 2017 have been clarified by CBEC vide circular dated 28-9-2017. It has been clarified that in cases where service was received before 1-7-2017 and payment for the value of the service was also made before 1-7-2017, but the service tax was paid by 5th /6th July 2017, details of credit should be indicated in Part I of Form ST-3 by filing a revised return. In order to give compliant assessees who had...


Comments