Reverse charge applicability on director-supplied services clarified: personal-capacity rentals excluded, director-capacity services covered under RCM.
Entry No. 6 of Notification No. 48/ST-2 applies only to services supplied by a person in the capacity of director; services supplied by a director in a personal capacity, such as renting immovable property to the company, are not taxable under the Reverse Charge Mechanism. Supply of food and beverages at cinema premises is taxable as restaurant service when supplied by way of or as part of a service and independent of the cinema exhibition service, while a bundled supply that qualifies as a composite supply will attract tax at the rate of the principal supply, exhibition of cinema.

GST rate clarification reduces rates for specified goods and regularises past-period treatment for genuine doubts.
Clarification establishes revised GST classification and applicable rates for specified goods, regularises past-period treatment on an "as is" basis where genuine interpretational doubts existed, and confirms that certain items attract 5% GST while others remain at 18% as appropriate. Supply of raw cotton by agriculturists to registered cooperatives is taxable at 5% under reverse charge. Goods under HSN 9021 will attract a uniform 5% GST, and no refunds will be granted where GST was already paid at higher rates.

Refund sanctioning must check and appropriate pending customs arrears from refunds using Arrears Recovery Cell records to prevent double appropriation.
Adjudicating authorities must check pending arrears with the Arrears Recovery Cell before sanctioning refunds and may appropriate refund amounts using the deduction/appropriation power under Section 142(1)(a). Appropriation must be tied to specific recoverable demands with order-in-original details and safeguards must prevent the same arrears being appropriated more than once.

Custodian appointment for Container Freight Station sets customs handling duties, security obligations, reporting requirements, and review-linked continuation.
Appointment of M/s International Cargo Terminal Private Limited as custodian for the Container Freight Station ICTPL was continued for the imported and export cargo handled in the notified area, subject to the Customs Act, 1962 and the conditions of the public notice. The custodian was responsible for receipt, storage, handling, security, records, insurance, infrastructure, staff facilities, monthly reporting, and compliance with restrictions on disposal, subletting and alteration of the CFS plan, with the appointment subject to review, extension and termination under the applicable customs framework.

Reverse Charge on director services applies only when supplied in the capacity of director; personal rentals excluded.
Services by a director to the company are taxable under Reverse Charge only when supplied in his capacity as director; personal capacity supplies such as renting immovable property to the company are not subject to RCM. Supply of food or beverages in a cinema hall is taxable as restaurant service if supplied as a service and independent of the exhibition; if ticket sale and food are bundled as a composite supply, the entire bundle is taxed at the rate applicable to the principal supply of cinema exhibition.

GST rate reclassification: reduced rates and retrospective regularisation for specified goods, with no refunds for higher past payments.
Clarifies GST rate changes following GST Council recommendations: uncooked extruded snack pellets and fish soluble paste reclassified to five per cent effective 27 July 2023; ready to eat extruded snacks remain at 18 per cent. Desiccated coconut, biomass briquettes and areca leaf plates/cups are regularised for specified prior periods. Supply of raw cotton by agriculturists to cooperatives is taxable at five per cent on reverse charge basis, and imitation zari thread/yarn reduced to five per cent. Medical implants under the relevant heading attract a uniform five per cent rate. Past period issues are regularised on an "as is" basis and no refunds will be granted where higher GST was paid.

Inter-office service taxability: head office may use ISD or invoice branches to enable input tax credit claims.
Head office and branch office inter office service supplies: head office may either distribute input tax credit via the Input Service Distributor mechanism (registration required if used) or issue tax invoices to branches for third party input services attributable to them; distribution or invoicing is allowed only if services are attributable to or actually provided to the branch. For internally generated services, invoice value is deemed open market value where recipient is eligible for full ITC irrespective of included cost components; salary cost need not be mandatorily included where recipient is not eligible for full ITC.

E-invoice applicability required for supplies to TDS-registered government entities when supplier exceeds threshold under GST rules
E-invoicing is required where a supplier's turnover exceeds the prescribed threshold and the recipient is a government department, agency, local authority or PSU registered solely for TDS deduction; such government entities are treated as registered persons under GST law and supplies to them fall within the e-invoicing obligation under the GST rules.

Refund of accumulated input-tax credit limited to amounts reflected in Form GSTR-2B, affecting refund admissibility and procedures.
Refund of accumulated input-tax credit under section 54(3) is restricted to credit reflected in Form GSTR-2B for the tax period or earlier periods where credit is available, effective January 2022; prior guidance tied to GSTR-2A/GSTR-1 is modified. The RFD-01 undertaking is retained but revised to remove references to omitted section 42 and Forms GSTR-2/GSTR-3, requiring repayment with interest if clause (c) of sub-section (2) of section 16 is later unmet. Export-related IGST paid may be refunded on subsequent export or realization, but interest paid is not refundable.

Taxability of shareholding: mere holding of subsidiary shares is not a supply of services under GST absent an actual supply.
Holding of shares in a subsidiary by a parent company does not, by itself, constitute a taxable supply of services under GST because securities are not goods or services and purchase or sale of shares alone does not amount to supply; a taxable service requires an actual supply as defined by GST law and a service classification code alone cannot convert mere shareholding into a service.

Warranty replacement tax treatment: free-of-charge parts and repairs during warranty not subject to further GST unless extra consideration.
Replacement parts and repair services supplied free of charge during the warranty period are covered by the value of the original supply and attract no additional GST; manufacturers need not reverse input tax credit for such warranty replacements or repairs. If additional consideration is charged, GST is payable on that consideration. Distributor-manufacturer interactions depend on the mechanism: distributor invoices manufacturer for parts (taxable), manufacturer supplies parts to distributor free (no GST, no ITC reversal), and credit-note adjustments require reversal of ITC by distributor where applicable.

TCS by e commerce operator: the ECO releasing payment to supplier collects TCS, or buyer side ECO if supplier is an ECO.
Where multiple ECOs are involved, TCS collection and related TCS compliances must be carried out by the ECO that ultimately releases payment to the supplier; if the supplier itself is an ECO receiving payment from the buyer side ECO, the buyer side ECO must collect TCS and fulfill TCS compliance obligations.

Input-tax credit eligibility tightened for mismatches between returns; additional credit allowed only subject to supplier payment and proof.
Clarifies treatment of ITC differences between GSTR-3B and GSTR-2A for April 1, 2019-December 31, 2021: earlier circular's guidelines apply for April 1-October 8, 2019; for subsequent subperiods additional ITC for invoices not reported by suppliers is allowed only within the specific facilitative ceilings under rule 36 and subject to the supplier-payment condition and other eligibility criteria; cumulative adjustment provisions for specified months must be observed; from January 1, 2022 ITC is allowable only as communicated in Form GSTR-2B; instructions apply to ongoing proceedings only.

Interest on wrongly availed IGST credit arises when total ITC across tax heads falls below that wrongly availed amount.
For interest under rule 88B and section 50(3), the relevant measure is the total input-tax credit balance across IGST, CGST and SGST in the electronic credit ledger; interest is triggered only if that combined balance falls below the wrongly availed IGST credit, and the extent of interest equals the extent to which the combined balance is short. Compensation cess credit is excluded from this calculation as it cannot be used for CGST, SGST or IGST liabilities or reversals.

RFQ platform participation requirement increases FPI secondary corporate bond trades via quotes, enhancing liquidity and disclosure.
FPIs must execute a minimum proportion of their total secondary market corporate bond trades by value through stock exchanges' RFQ platform by placing or seeking quotes, measured quarterly, to enhance RFQ liquidity and disclosure; the requirement is effective from October 01, 2023 and issued under SEBI's statutory powers and relevant FPI regulations.

Reverse Charge Mechanism: directors' personal services to their company excluded; cinema food treated as restaurant service when independent.
Services supplied by a director to the company in a private or personal capacity, such as renting immovable property, are not taxable under the Reverse Charge Mechanism; only services supplied by a person in his capacity as director attract RCM. Supply of food or beverages in a cinema hall is taxable as restaurant service when supplied as part of, or independently of, a service; if ticket and food are bundled as a composite supply, the principal exhibition service's rate applies to the entire bundle.

GST classification changes on specified goods adjust applicable rates and regularise past-period treatment without refunds.
Clarifies revised GST classification and concessional rates for specified goods with effect from 27 July 2023 where applicable, confirms that uncooked extruded snack pellets attract the lower rate while ready to eat extruded snacks retain the higher rate, reduces the rate on fish soluble paste, reclassifies imitation zari thread or yarn to the concessional rate, regularises past periods on an "as is" basis for multiple items including desiccated coconut and biomass briquettes, confirms raw cotton supplied by agriculturists to cooperatives is taxable under the reverse charge mechanism, and states no refunds will be granted where higher GST was already paid.

Reverse Charge on director services limited to duties performed in director capacity; personal rentals not covered.
Services by a director are taxable under RCM only when supplied in the capacity of director; services supplied by the director in a private or personal capacity, such as renting immovable property to the company, are not taxable under RCM. Supply of food or beverages in cinema premises is taxable as restaurant service when supplied by way of or as part of a service and independent of the exhibition service; bundled supplies of ticket plus food that form a composite supply will attract GST at the rate applicable to the principal supply, the exhibition service.

GST rate revisions: reduced rates and retrospective regularisation for specified goods, with no refunds where higher tax was paid.
Supply of uncooked/unfried extruded snack pellets (CTH 1905), fish soluble paste (CTH 2309), imitation zari thread (heading 5605) and goods under HSN 9021 are reclassified or re-rated to attract 5% GST from the notified effective date; ready-to-eat extruded snacks retain 18%. Supply of raw cotton by agriculturists to cooperatives is taxable at 5% on reverse charge. Desiccated coconut, biomass briquettes and areca leaf plates/cups are regularised for specified past periods. All listed past-period issues are regularised on an "as is" basis and no refunds will be granted where higher GST was paid.

Taxability of services between distinct persons clarified: ISD optional; invoice value deemed open market value when recipient has ITC.
The circular clarifies that where a Head Office procures input services from a third party but those services are attributable to Branch Offices, the HO may either distribute the attributable input tax credit through the Input Service Distributor mechanism (subject to mandatory ISD registration) or issue tax invoices to BOs; ISD use is not mandatory. It further provides that where a recipient BO is eligible for full input tax credit, the invoice value declared by the HO is deemed to be the open market value of internally generated services, irrespective of inclusion of particular cost components, while salary costs need not be mandatorily included in value where full ITC is not available.