Goods and Services Tax Council

Context

The 47th meeting of the Goods and Services Tax Council conducted in Chandigarh.

What is the GST Council?

• Simply put, GST Council is the governing body for the implementation of GST rules in India. 
• Creation of the GST Council was facilitated by the Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty Second Amendment) Bill 2016.
• The Goods and Services Tax Council is a constitutional body under Article 279A (1).
• The secretariat office is situated in New Delhi and Union Revenue Secretary acts as the ex-officio Secretary to the GST Council. 
• Objectives: The main task of the council is to make recommendations to the Union and the States on important issues related to GST, like:
  • The goods and services that may come under the banner of GST
  • Model GST Laws
  • Principles that govern Place of Supply
  • Threshold limits
  • GST rates including the floor rates with bands
  • Special rates for raising additional resources during natural calamities/disasters
  • The appointment of Goods and Services Tax levied on supplies in the course of Inter-State trade or commerce under article 269A
  • Making special provisions for the following states: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand
    
• The Supreme Court recently made it clear that the Council is only a recommendatory body and its recommendations are not binding on Centre or states. 

Members

The GST Council consists of the following members:

• The Union Finance Minister (as Chairman)
• The Union Minister of State in-charge of Revenue or Finance
• The Minister in charge of Finance or Taxation or any other Minister, nominated by each State Government