Hasmukh Bhai to Decide on Exemptions

About 80 items are likely to make it to the exemption list under the proposed goods and services tax (GST), including grains, green coconut, poha, unprocessed green tea leaves, and non-mineral water.

Items such as coffee and processed foods like biscuits, rusk, butter and cheese currently exempted from excise duty, may draw GST.

There are currently around 300 items in the exemption list from central excise duty and 90 from the states value added.

A committee of officials headed by Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia is preparing the item-wise list for GST rates.

Hectic lobbying was done for segment-wise GST rates. Sources said the committee of officials received over 16,000 representations.

For instance, sources said, makers of refrigerators in 200 litre category with chlorofluorocarbon (CFC) made a representation to bring this item in the 18% slab as against the 28% slab.

States exempt unprocessed goods and those consumed by the poor such as fruits, vegetables, salt, grain and coarse fabric. The Centre provides excise exemption to processed food and pharmaceuticals and a concessional rate to fruit-based items. Common items exempted by the Centre and states include bread, eggs, milk, vegetables, cereals, books and salt.