THE HINDU Editorial Vocabulary- November 13, 2017- Topic 2

Hit refresh: on the slashed GST rates

The script was altered for the second time in two months but with far greater impact. Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised far-reaching changes to simplify the goods and services tax regime, especially for small businesses and consumers, the GST Council delivered some relief measures on Friday. At its meeting in Guwahati, the Council lowered the tax rates on over 200 products, compared to 27 items in its previous meeting and about 100 tweaks since GST rates were finalised in May. 

Over 1,200 products and services had been placed in five tax brackets — 0%, 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%. That those rates no longer hold for about a quarter of those items, and the highest tax bracket is left with just 50 products, compared to more than 250 in July, is a tacit admission that the initial rates were worked out in a hurry with maximising revenue being the prime consideration. Similarly, the ambit of the Composition Scheme for small businesses has been expanded twice — from an initial turnover threshold of ₹75 lakh per year to ₹1 crore (in October), and now further to ₹1.5 crore. This would require a change in the GST laws, so it may take some time to kick in. There should be no doubt that all the course corrections currently under way to ease the transition to GST are more than welcome — and the government will be hoping these ‘people-friendly’ changes will not only spur consumption but also boost compliance.

But the transmission of lower rates may take time as it could be two-three months before existing inventory in the market is replaced with freshly priced products. With returns for the first month of the tax yet to be filed by all registered taxpayers and less than three months to go till the presentation of the Union Budget, Finance Ministry mandarins face a unique challenge on revenue visibility. In the interest of the exchequer and the taxpayer, whatever other improvements the GST needs must be implemented at the earliest — whether they are stuck because of a lack of consensus (letting inter-State suppliers avail of the Composition Scheme), poor implementation (the GST Network) or simply the lack of bandwidth to think through. The Opposition has criticised the latest reboot of the GST as a Gujarat campaign effect. While that rang truer in October when rates for popular snacks in the State were lowered, many decisions remain curious. Cement is taxed at 28%, but granite and marble have been lowered to the 18% bracket. Instead of a tactfully designed One Nation, One Tax system, the GST should not degenerate into a tool to please constituencies. The Council must institute a transparent system with an explicit rationale for any rate changes in the future. Only then can business and retail find predictability in the GST, rather than be wistful for a time when indirect tax rates were reviewed once a year in the annual Budget instead of every month.

Vocabulary

Alter: change or cause to change in character or composition, typically in a comparatively small but significant way.

Example: Eliot was persuaded to alter the passage

Synonyms: change, make changes to, make different, make alterations to

Tweak: a fine adjustment to a mechanism or system.

Example: Here there is little or no help, but a small tweak to the taxation system could make an enormous difference to stay-at-home mothers.

Synonyms: adjustment, modification, alteration, change, refinement

Consideration: careful thought, typically over a period of time.

Example: A long process involving a great deal of careful consideration

Synonyms: thought, deliberation, reflection, contemplation, rumination

Ambit: the scope, extent, or bounds of something.

Example: Within the ambit of federal law

Synonyms: scope, extent, range, breadth, width, reach, sweep, terms of reference

Transition: the process or a period of changing from one state or condition to another.

Example: Students in transition from one program to another

Synonyms: change, passage, move, transformation, conversion, metamorphosis

Inventory: a complete list of items such as property, goods in stock, or the contents of a building.

Example: About 6 per cent of the slaves listed as sick in inventories of sugar properties suffered from cansaço or exhaustion.

Synonyms: list, listing, catalog, record, register, checklist, log, archive

Visibility: the state of being able to see or be seen.

Example: A reduction in police presence and visibility on the streets

Exchequer: a royal or national treasury.

Example: The most important post in judging the character of the government is its finance minister and chancellor of the exchequer

Curious: strange; unusual.

Example: A curious sensation overwhelmed her

Synonyms: strange, odd, peculiar, funny, unusual, bizarre, weird

Transparent: allowing light to pass through so that objects behind can be distinctly seen.

Example: Transparent blue water

Synonyms: clear, crystal clear, see-through, translucent, pellucid, limpid

Explicit: stated clearly and in detail, leaving no room for confusion or doubt.

Example: The speaker's intentions were not made explicit

Synonyms: clear, plain, straightforward, crystal clear, easily understandable

Rationale: a set of reasons or a logical basis for a course of action or a particular belief.

Example: He explained the rationale behind the change

Synonyms: reason(s), reasoning, thinking, logic, grounds, sense