All Industry Rates of duty drawback: consultation seeks stakeholder suggestions to revise drawback and rebate for GST transition.
Revision of All Industry Rates (AIRs) of duty drawback is requested to align export drawback and related rebate mechanisms with the forthcoming GST framework. The Drawback Committee seeks stakeholder input to formulate and recommend revised AIRs and applicable rebate structures for exports under the new GST environment and remnant tax arrangements. Interested export promotion councils, commodity boards, trade and industry associations, and chambers of commerce are invited to submit considered suggestions by the stated submission timeline to the Drawback Division email.

Goods and Services Tax mobile app enables taxpayers to access official updates and contact a 24x7 helpdesk instantly.
The Central Board of Excise and Customs launched a mobile application to disseminate information on Goods and Services Tax (GST), centralising migration guidance, draft laws and rules, FAQs, resources and related links, and enabling feedback and access to a 24x7 helpdesk; the Android app is free and an iOS version is forthcoming.

GST Council affirms consensus-based recommendations on GST design and implementation, no immediate service tax increase planned.
The Government will not raise service tax if GST rollout is delayed and is taking steps to expedite GST implementation and address State concerns. The GST Council, formed under Article 279A with Union and State finance ministers or nominees, has made consensus recommendations on thresholds, tax rates, GST rules, treatment of existing incentives, a Draft GST Compensation Law and a Model GST Law, and is supporting IT readiness, consultations and training for stakeholders.

Goods and Services Tax legislation to be tabled for parliamentary approval, establishing central, integrated and state GST framework.
The government is finalising draft CGST and IGST legislations for parliamentary and state legislative approval to implement a unified Goods and Services Tax regime, accompanied by a GST Compensation Act to protect state revenues. The GST Council set a multi-slab rate architecture and directed fitment of items into the slab closest to current tax incidence, with exceptions reserved for Council consideration; final rules and laws are to be completed before rates are fixed.

Treatment of existing tax incentives under GST: exempted entities will be taxable unless reimbursement is provided through budgetary route.
The Council resolved that entities enjoying existing indirect tax exemptions under Central or State incentive schemes shall pay tax in the GST regime, and any continuation of exemptions, incentives, or deferrals must be administered by a reimbursement mechanism through the budgetary route; administrative allocation of taxpayers between Central and State tax authorities will follow turnover-based division.