GST Council agrees to decriminalise certain offences

NEW DELHI: The GST Council on Saturday agreed to decriminalise certain offences and doubled the threshold for launching prosecution to Rs 2 crore, Revenue Secretary Sanjay Malhotra said.

The Council could decide on only 8 out of the 15 agenda items due to paucity of time, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, adding the items not considered included one pertaining to setting up of appellate tribunals for GST.

The issue of mechanism to curb tax evasion in pan masala and gutkha businesses also could not be taken up.

No new taxes have been brought, Sitharaman said on the deliberations at the GST Council's 48th meeting.

The Council, she said, has clarified on what constitutes an SUV and attract the tax applicable for such categories of automobiles.

Malhotra said GST on online gaming and casinos was not discussed as the report of a Group of Ministers (GoM), chaired by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma, on the issue submitted its report only a couple of days back.

The report of the GoM was not even circulated to GST Council members, he added.

He further said the Council agreed to raise the threshold of launching prosecution to Rs 2 crore from the present Rs 1 crore.

Also, the GST on husk of pulses was reduced to nil from 5 per cent.

The GST Council is the highest decision making body of the one-nation, one-tax Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime. It is headed by the Union Finance Minister and all states and UT are represented in the body.