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Ministerial panel set up to study GST rate cut on medical supplies

Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma will lead a ministerial panel set up on Saturday to look into demands for Goods and Services Tax (GST) rate cut on medical supplies used in prevention and treatment of covid, the finance ministry said.

The ministry said in an order that the eight-member panel set up as decided at the GST Council meeting on Friday will give its report by 8 June. The ministerial panel will “examine the issue of GST concessions/exemption to covid relief material,” the order said.

Sangma will be the convenor of the panel, which also includes Gujarat deputy chief minister Nitinbhai Patel, Deputy chief minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar, Goa’s minister for transport and Panchayati Raj Mauvin Godinho, Kerala finance minister K N Balagopal, Odisha finance and excise minister Niranjan Pujari, Telangana finance minister T Harish Rao and Uttar Pradesh finance minister Suresh Khanna.

The panel will look into the need for GST concession or exemption and recommend the eligible medical supplies. The order said that the panel will examine items like covid vaccines, drugs and medicines for covid treatment, testing kits for covid detection, medical grade oxygen, pulse oximeters, hand sanitisers oxygen therapy equipment such as concentrators, generators and ventilators, personal protection gear, masks, temperature checking equipment and any other items needed for covid relief.

The panel is expected to look at the needs of the consumer and also weigh the principles of taxation while taking a call. The GST Council decided to set up the ministerial panel after seven state governments asked for tax concessions on covid related medical supplies. Some of their suggestions imply going against the principles of a value added tax system where the value addition or margins at each stage of the supply is taxed. Live Mint

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