Government Open To Consider Restaurant Owners' Demand For Higher GST Levy

New Delhi: Government is open to contemplating the restaurant trade's demand of shifting again to larger items and companies tax (GST) together with advantage of tax credit score on their inputs, income secretary Tarun Bajaj mentioned on Wednesday.Currently, a 5 per cent tax is levied on restaurant companies, no matter whether or not it's air-conditioned or not, with out the advantage of the enter tax credit score (ITC). Also, eating places in starred-hotels that cost Rs 7,500 or more per day room tariff shall be levied 18 per cent GST however ITC is allowed for them. Those eating places in lodges charging lower than Rs 7,500 room tariff will cost 5 per cent GST however won't get ITC."I also got this suggestion from the restaurant industry that they would like to go back to a higher rate of taxation with ITC being allowed to them, rather than (be) only on five per cent tax rate. Which is very fine. We would be open to look into this," Mr Bajaj mentioned at an trade occasion.A closing determination on the reversal within the tax price for the restaurant trade shall be taken by the GST council, chaired by the union finance minister and attended by state finance ministers.When GST was rolled out on July 1, 2017, a 12 per cent tax on meals invoice was levied within the case of non-AC eating places and 18 per cent in air-conditioned ones. All these received an enter tax credit score, a facility to set off tax paid on inputs with closing tax.The GST Council later in November 2017 withdrew the ITC facility and levied a uniform 5 per cent tax on all eating places with out the excellence of AC or non-AC, after it felt that the eating places weren't passing on the ITC advantages to the purchasers.Mr Bajaj mentioned this 12 months, the try can be to deliver some modifications within the GST framework so that there's stability and commerce is aware of the tax charges and might plan accordingly.