GST Council proposes exemptions for helicopter travel, farm services
The latest GST Council meeting is shaking things up with a proposal to drop taxes on some pretty specific services.
Think passenger transportation by helicopter on a seat-sharing basis to or from airports or helipads located in the northeastern states, Sikkim, and Bagdogra in West Bengal, making travel there a bit more accessible.
They're also looking at tax breaks for farmers, like waiving GST on services related to the storage or warehousing of seeds meant for sowing and agricultural support services related to the curing of coffee provided by coffee curers to cultivators.
Shipping, Seamen's Provident Fund, tolls eyed
It's not just about travel and farming: shipping could get cheaper too, with possible exemptions for the import of services by an establishment of a foreign shipping company in India from a related person or any of its establishments outside India, when provided without consideration, and services provided by the Seamen's Provident Fund Organisation to persons governed by the Seamen's Provident Fund Act, 1966.
Plus, the grant of exclusive rights, licenses and authority by the government to concessionaires for highway projects to demand, collect and appropriate toll fees under the Toll Operate Transfer (TOT) model, and a special GST procedure for O&M services, might get a break.