Indian Economy Quiz: Taxation in India and GST

GST is charged on the supply of goods and services, and although the registered supplier deposits it with the government, the amount is recovered from the buyer in the price.

A gift tax is charged on the transfer of money or property from one person to another without consideration; it is a tax on a transfer between persons, not on any sale of goods or supply of services.

It is the foundation of the whole tax system, because it means the executive cannot demand money from a citizen without a law passed by the competent legislature.

GST was rolled out at a midnight session of Parliament and the date is now observed every year as GST Day.

It inserted Article 246A, Article 269A and Article 279A and made the sharing of taxing power between the Union and the states possible, so that both could tax the same supply.

Under it the President constitutes the GST Council, which is chaired by the Union Finance Minister and includes the Union Minister of State for Finance and a minister nominated by each state.

The definition of goods and services tax inserted by the hundred and first amendment expressly excludes it, so states continue to levy state excise and value added tax on liquor, and it is a major source of their own revenue.

It is levied and collected by the Government of India on inter-state supplies under Article 269A, and the proceeds are apportioned between the Union and the state where the goods or services are consumed, which is what makes GST a destination-based tax.

France adopted the value added tax in 1954, and the idea of taxing only the value added at each stage, with credit for the tax paid earlier, spread from there to most of the world.

It was levied on the net wealth of individuals, Hindu undivided families and companies, but it collected very little compared with the effort of assessing it, so it was withdrawn in 2015 and replaced by an additional surcharge on very high incomes.

Article 279A provides that a decision of the Council needs a majority of not less than three fourths of the weighted votes of the members present and voting, with the vote of the Centre carrying one third of the total votes cast and the votes of all the state governments…

Statement one is correct because the securities transaction tax is charged on the purchase and sale of securities on a recognised stock exchange and is borne by the investor who makes the transaction; the burden cannot be passed on to anybody else, which is the test of a direct tax…