Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman chaired the 51st meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council in a virtual session on Wednesday. The key focus of the meeting was to deliberate on the taxation framework for online gaming in India.
Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said that various issues related to GST rates and reforms were discussed during the meeting.
Less than a month has passed since the 50th meeting of the council took place in New Delhi, during which the decision to impose a 28 percent GST on online gaming, casinos, and race courses was unanimously agreed upon. The decision saw strong backlash from the online gaming industry, which called it a “killer blow”, and is hoping for a reconsideration of the tax rate.
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In today’s meeting, the council’s agenda primarily focused on the definition and differentiation of online gaming from online money gaming. This comes as a response to the concerns raised by stakeholders in the online gaming sector, who argue that there should be clear guidelines to differentiate between various forms of online gaming, particularly those that involve real-money transactions and those that do not.
However, prior to the meeting, sources close to the matter indicated that the council is unlikely to reverse its decision on the 28 percent GST rate for online gaming. The taxation rate has been a subject of contention among industry players, arguing that it could adversely affect the growth and competitiveness of the online gaming sector in India.
Another significant topic discussed during the meeting was the provision of online games offered by individuals or entities located outside India. The council examined the implications of such cross-border transactions and their potential impact on domestic online gaming operators and tax revenues.
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The virtual meeting revolved solely around these issues related to online gaming, with no other items on the agenda.
Union Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur, Finance Ministers of States & UTs (with legislature), and senior officials from both the Union Government and the States, also participated in the discussions.
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