Composition scheme reform expands thresholds and simplifies compliance for small taxpayers, adding a composition option for services.
Increase in composition and registration thresholds and simplified compliance were adopted: the turnover limit for the Composition Scheme for Goods is raised with Special Category States able to set limits; composition taxpayers will file one annual return with quarterly tax payments and a simple declaration. Suppliers of goods will face a two-tier exemption threshold for registration, while service providers' registration threshold remains lower with reduced limits in special category States. A Composition Scheme for Services is introduced for eligible service and mixed suppliers with a composite rate and the same simplified return/payment regimen. These measures are effective from the start of the next fiscal quarter.

GST amendment effective date set by Council; examination deadline for eligible GST Practitioners extended to year-end.
Approval was given to notify amendments to CGST, IGST, UTGST and GST (Compensation to States) Acts, and corresponding rules, notifications, circulars and state GST Acts, to take effect from the specified effective date via Gazette notifications. The Council also extended the final passing deadline for the GST Practitioner examination for persons enrolled under the former sales tax practitioner/tax return preparer category with five years' prior practice.

GST exemption threshold increased and composition scheme turnover cap raised, expanding relief for small businesses.
The fiscal framework raised the GST exemption limit to higher region-specific thresholds and increased the turnover cap for the Composition Scheme, altering registration and tax-payment obligations for micro, small and medium enterprises. Separately, a State was authorised a temporary intra-state calamity levy and a seven-member group was formed to review potential sectoral inclusion in GST.

GST evasion detection: analytics-driven targeting has increased detections and supported substantial tax recoveries.
Detection of widespread GST evasion has been a primary compliance focus, with thousands of cases investigated, increased detection in the post-GST period, and substantial recoveries; these efforts are supported by a dedicated fraud analytics system operational since July 2017 that uses data mining and risk analysis to produce reports on stop filers and GSTR-3B versus GSTR-1 discrepancies for targeted enforcement.

GST: unified destination based tax subsuming central and state levies with ITC chains, IGST settlement and compensation mechanisms.
GST creates a unified destination based consumption tax by subsuming most central and state indirect levies into a dual federal model where Centre and States levy tax on supply, supported by constitutional amendments establishing the GST Council, an IGST mechanism for inter State settlement and a framework for input tax credit, compensation to States, threshold exemptions, composition scheme, electronic returns, e way bills and anti profiteering safeguards to ensure a harmonized national market.

GST rate rationalization on services implemented through amendment Acts and notifications, updating service tax rates and procedural changes.
Rationalization of service tax rates was effected through GST Council decisions and corresponding legislative amendments; amendment Acts received presidential assent and were to be brought into force by the Central Government with implementation through notifications and circulars that give effect to Council-recommended rate reductions for specified service groups.

GST revenue collection details settlement of IGST to CGST and SGST, including provisional centre-state sharing.
Monthly GST revenue collection for December 2018 reports gross receipts by CGST, SGST, IGST (including import collections) and Cess, and notes the number of GSTR-3B returns filed. The statement details regular IGST settlements to CGST and SGST and a provisional 50:50 distribution from the IGST balance between Centre and States, and provides post-settlement revenue accruals to Central and State governments.

GST audit: taxpayers over Rs. 2 crore need GSTR 9C reconciliation, ITC verification, record retention and reverse charge checks.
Every registered person with aggregate turnover exceeding Rs.2 crore must obtain audit by a CA/CMA and submit audited accounts with a reconciliation statement in FORM GSTR 9C along with the annual return. Auditors must reconcile financial statements with GST returns, verify taxes, refunds and ITC (including eligibility, reversals under the 180 day rule, blocked credits and apportionment for exempt/non business use), confirm compliance with invoicing, time/place of supply and valuation rules, examine records retained for prescribed periods, and report observations and recommended adjustments; special audits and statutory access to premises apply where warranted.

TDS under GST applies to specified government entities for contracts where taxable supplies exceed Rs.2.5 lakh per contract.
TDS under GST requires specified government and public entities to deduct tax where the total value of taxable supply under a contract exceeds Rs.2.5 lakh (excluding GST); registration as a TDS deductor on the GST portal is mandatory, deduction rates differ for intra state (1% split between CGST and SGST) and inter state (2% IGST) supplies, and procedural obligations include deposit via challan, filing FORM GSTR 7, and issuance of system generated FORM GSTR 7A; specified exceptions, valuation rules, and penalties for non compliance are set out.

GST rate revisions narrow high rate items and fix a deemed value split for renewable-energy contracts.
GST Council recommended multiple GST rate reductions across specified goods and services, reclassifying items among 28%, 18%, 12%, 5% and Nil slabs and aligning rates for power banks with lithium ion batteries. It prescribed a deemed allocation of aggregate contract value for renewable-energy plant supplies-70% treated as goods at the concessional rate and 30% as services at the standard rate-and recommended reduced or exempt treatment for select services including cinema tickets, third-party goods-vehicle insurance and specified banking services.

Composition scheme: extension to small service providers referred for rate and threshold review by law and fitment committees.
Extension of the composition scheme to small service providers, including determination of applicable rate and threshold, was referred to the Law Committee and Fitment Committee; tax rate on lotteries was referred to the Committee of States; taxation of residential property in real estate was referred to the Law Committee and Fitment Committee; and the threshold limit of exemption under GST for MSMEs was referred to a Group of Ministers, with the Council to revisit these issues at a later meeting.

Return filing reform: trial then mandatory rollout with extended deadlines, sequencing rules, and electronic refund filing.
A package of GST compliance measures: a single cash ledger per tax head and a pilot single authority for refund disbursement; rollout of a new return filing system with extended deadlines and sequencing requirements for annual and periodic returns; mandatory electronic upload of refund supporting documents on the common portal and specified refund types permitted through the standard refund form; extensions for migration and historical filings with late fee waivers; and further clarifications and notifications to implement legislative amendments and portal functionalities.

Group of Ministers to study GST revenue trends and recommend structural responses after expert committee review
A Group of Ministers is constituted to analyse GST revenue trends, including structural causes for deviations from original design assumptions and implementation effects on state collections. A committee of experts from Central and State Governments and the National Institute of Public Finance and Planning will assist, provide findings to the GoM, and the GoM will submit recommendations to the GST Council; membership details will be announced later.

Centralised Appellate Authority for Advance Ruling proposed; interest to be charged only on net tax liability.
Creation of a Centralised Appellate Authority for Advance Ruling is proposed to address conflicting appellate advance ruling decisions. An amendment is proposed to make interest leviable only on the net tax liability after accounting for admissible input tax credit, such that interest applies only to amounts payable through the electronic cash ledger. Both proposals are approved in principle and await statutory amendment.

GST simplification aims to place the vast majority of goods into a lower tax slab, narrowing the highest slab to luxury items.
The document sets out a policy objective of GST simplification to move the vast majority of goods into a sub-18 per cent GST slab while limiting the top slab to select luxury items, with attendant goals of reducing slab complexity, expanding taxpayer registration, improving market transparency, and easing compliance burdens.

Return reconciliation enables authorities to identify reporting mismatches and e way bill non-filers for compliance follow-up.
GSTN is developing a new return-filing framework with user-interface improvements (questionnaire-guided GSTR-3B, pre-populated challans, one-click nil filing, suggested ITC utilisation and contextual help) and deploying BI & Analytics for persona-based and predictive analyses, fraud detection and network analysis; it reconciles GSTR-1 with GSTR-3B and GSTR-3B with GSTR-2A and monitors e-way bill generators who do not file returns, sharing analytic reports with tax authorities for compliance follow-up.

Goods and Services Tax collections show improvement, prompting procedural reforms and unresolved petroleum taxation under Council review.
Goods and Services Tax collections for FY 2018 19 show overall improvement over FY 2017 18, though direct comparison with the prior tax system is unreliable due to taxpayer overlap, varying exemption limits, and IGST apportionment. Implementation has involved procedural changes and statutory amendments to improve compliance. The GST Council recommended multiple rate adjustments following stakeholder representations but has not set a levy date for petroleum products under Article 279A(5), leaving their GST status unresolved.

GST evasion detection: recoveries reported and enhanced enforcement with analytics-driven risk management measures announced.
Suspected GST evasion of substantial aggregate value was detected in 3,196 cases up to November of the 2018-19 financial year with state-wise detection and recovery figures reported; the Government is enhancing enforcement through intelligence-based operations, E-Way Bill squads, systematic data analysis and creation of a Directorate General for Analytics & Risk Management to prioritise risk, improve detection and recover tax dues.

GST on property sales: completed units exempt, under construction sales taxable; input tax credit often offsets builders' liability.
Sale of a completed building or ready-to-move-in flat after issuance of the completion certificate is not subject to GST, whereas under-construction property or sales where the completion certificate is not issued at the time of sale are taxable. Under GST, affordable housing attracts a lower rate and other housing is taxed after abatement; major inputs attract higher GST but input tax credit availability yields a weighted ITC benefit that often offsets the output tax, frequently eliminating cash GST payable for affordable projects.

Extension of due date for GST annual returns; GSTR 9, GSTR 9A and GSTR 9C deadlines extended via portal.
Extension of due date for filing FORM GSTR-9, FORM GSTR-9A and FORM GSTR-9C until 31st March, 2019; requisite forms will be made available on the GST common portal and a relevant order is to be issued to give effect to the extension.