Aarohi Blog

Sandesh, with or without chocolate, will be taxed at 5 per cent, the government clarified on Thursday along with the goods and services tax (GST) rates for other items, including rakhis, idli-dosa batter and kulfi. However, ambiguity persisted over whether the tax rate for plastic furniture would be 28 per cent as furniture or 18 per cent as plastic items. The sharp jump in tax on car leasing is also expected to be taken up in the GST Council meeting on Saturday. The clarification comes amid reports that sweet shops have discontinued chocolate barfis and chocolate sandesh . The GST rate on chocolates is 28 per cent and Indian sweets are taxed at 5 per cent. Although milk is exempt in the GST, khoya, or concentrated milk, will attract 5 per cent GST. “Sweet shops in Kolkata were in panic over different GST rates based on the types of sweets and ingredients. Now the government has clarified that the GST rate on all Indian sweets is 5 per cent,” said Archit...

Domestic sales of passenger vehicles (cars, vans and utility vehicles) expanded at more than 15 per cent in July — the highest pace in the first seven months of this calendar year. This growth, however, comes after a double-digit decline of 11 per cent in June, when companies regulated sales to reduce dealers’ loss on pre-goods and services tax (GST) inventory. Six leading companies, including Maruti Suzuki, Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M), Honda and Toyota, recorded high double-digit growth, as they replenished the inventory at dealerships. The country’s biggest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki , has sold a record monthly volume of 153,298 vehicles in the domestic market during July, growing 22 per cent over last year. Maruti, the country’s most valued automobile company, made a new record at the bourses, with its stock hitting a fresh high of Rs 7,920 in Tuesday’s trade. It closed at Rs 7,859, up almost 2 per cent from the previous day. All vehicle segments, except vans, recorded...