GST Council to Discuss Gaming Tax, Corporate Guarantees, and Telecom Spectrum Fees

The GST Council, chaired by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, will meet after an eight-month hiatus to discuss critical tax issues, including online gaming taxation, corporate guarantees, and spectrum fees for telcos. The council aims to review and potentially rationalize GST rates and address pending legal disputes.

The GST Council, led by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, is set to convene on Saturday after an eight-month hiatus. Key agenda items include taxation on online gaming, corporate guarantees, and telecom spectrum fees.

The council will deliberate on levying 28 percent GST on the full value of bets in online gaming, a rule that took effect on October 1, 2023. This decision has already resulted in over 70 show cause notices issued to online gaming companies for alleged GST evasion of Rs 1.12 lakh crore during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 fiscal years.

Another significant discussion point will be the 18 percent GST on corporate guarantees, a policy currently under legal scrutiny. The Council will also clarify GST collection methods for telecom spectrum fees to eliminate field-level confusion. Additionally, the GST rate rationalisation panel is yet to meet under its new chairman, Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna.

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