Nirmala Sitharaman chairs 48th GST Council meeting; no tax increase on any item

New Delhi: Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday chaired the 48th meeting of the GST Council.

"Union Finance Minister Smt. @nsitharaman chairs the 48th meeting of the GST Council via virtual mode, in New Delhi, today. Along with the FM, Union Minister of State for Finance Shri @mppchaudhary, besides Finance Ministers of States & UTs (with legislature) and Senior officers from Union Government & States are also attending the meeting," Ministry of Finance tweeted. Sitharman said that during the meeting eight of the agenda points of the 48th GST council meeting were discussed and the remaining would be carried on to the next meeting. "In sequential order seven agenda points were attended with an additional one related to data sharing was also taken up," the finance minister said.

"In this 48th GST Council Meeting, there hasn't been any tax increase on any item. No new taxation has been brought in. Everything that has been done is to issue clarifications where ambiguity of interpretations prevailed, "Sitharaman said at the conclusion of the meeting.

The 47th meeting of the GST Council was held in late June 2022, in Chandigarh.

After the recommendations that were taken up in the two-day 47th GST Council meeting in Chandigarh in June, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was rationalised for numerous items including LED lamps, solar water heaters, among other items.

The rate changes recommended by the GST Council became effective on July 18 this year.