Local Dairy, Agri Products Under GST; Know What Else Will Cost More

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New Delhi:  Unbranded but packed (local) dairy and agricultural products will be brought within the ambit of a 5 per cent tax rate slab. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council has accepted the recommendations of a panel of State Finance Ministers and Fitment Committee to do so.

‘Pre-packaged, labelled’ and agri products such as lassi, buttermilk, packaged curd, wheat flour, other cereals, honey, papad, foodgrains, meat & fish (except frozen), puffed rice, jaggery are all set to become costlier once Union Finance Ministry issues a notification to implement the GST Council decision, NDTV reported, adding that Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is scheduled to brief the media on the outcomes of the 47th GST Council meeting at 4 pm today.

Currently, a 5 per cent GST is levied on branded and packaged food items, while unpacked and unlabelled are tax exempt.

The Council has also accepted the recommendation of State Finance Ministers to bring hotel rooms (with a tariff below Rs 1,000 per night) and hospital rooms (with a daily tariff of over Rs 5,000 per day) within the ambit of a 12 per cent GST rate slab.