30th GST Council meet today: Jaitley to take up Kerala’s demand for flood-relief cess

The proposal, to be discussed on Friday, is in line with the Kerala government’s demand for extra resources to aid reconstruction efforts following devastating floods this year

New Delhi, Sep 28: Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday will chair the 30th Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meet on Friday.

Earlier this month, Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac had met Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, demanding a 10 per cent cess on State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) on all commodities consumed in the state. In response, the Centre proposed a nationwide one per cent cess on all sin goods instead of a cess limited to Kerala.

The GST Council will examine a proposal on whether and how a cess on luxury and demerit goods can be increased to raise additional funds for states affected by natural calamities.

The Council, headed by finance minister Arun Jaitley will also discuss ways to address revenue shortfall. Revenue collection from GST declined to Rs 93,960 crore in August, the lowest in the current financial year 2018-19. The average collection during April-August was Rs 96,705 crore, less than the government's monthly target.

While the government may not be in a position to cut rates, some states have demanded a reduction in the rate levied for cement from 28 percent slab to 18 percent.

The Council will also discuss the cases and progress of the anti-profiteering mechanism under GST.

On August 4, during the 29th GST Council meeting, it was announced that a committee has been set up to look after the grievances of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The council also announced that the GST incentives for digital payments via RuPay card and BHIM app will be rolled out on a pilot basis.