The Union Government has decided to establish a circuit bench of the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) in Puducherry.
A release from the office of Minister for Public Works K. Lakshminarayanan on Sunday, June 23, 2024 said that the decision to set up the circuit bench of the tribunal was announced at the 53rd meeting of GST council held in New Delhi on Saturday.
Mr. Lakshminarayanan, who attended the meeting on behalf of Chief Minister N. Rangasamy, during the discussion had sought a reduction in the monetary limit proposed to be fixed for filing appeals by the Commercial Taxes Department before GSTAT, High Courts and Supreme Court by smaller regions like Puducherry.
The council has decided to exempt GST on platform ticket, passenger lounge services provided by Indian Railways and hostel rent up to Rs 20,000 per month for student hostels. The meeting also decided to charge 12% GST tax on all types of milk cans and cardboard boxes, the release said.
Mr. Lakshminarayanan also informed the council the implementation of biometric-based Aadhaar authentication for GST registration on a pilot basis in Puducherry. The Centre has now decided to implement biometric-based Aadhaar authentication process across the country, the release added.
Secretary to Government (Finance) Ashish Madhaorao More and Commissioner of Commercial Taxes Department, L. Mohamed Mansoor also attended the meeting.