Use Rupay card, BHIM? You may get cashbacks for digital payments under GST

The incentives will be extended to all card-holders at a later date based on the success of this move, said Sushil Modi

The Sushil Modi-led ministerial panel on Friday approved a proposal for incentivising digital payments through Rupay card and BHIM app by way of cash-backs. 

Once implemented, customers making payments using Rupay card or BHIM UPI will get a cash-back of 20 per cent of the total GST (goods and services tax) amount, subject to a maximum of Rs 100. 

The recommendations of the Group of Ministers (GoM) will now be placed before the GST Council on Saturday.  

Briefing reporters after the meeting, Modi said the move to provide cash-back to users of Rupay and BHIM is intended to encourage the use of the digital mode of payment, especially in semi-urban and rural areas.

The move will have a revenue impact of Rs 10 billion (Rs 1,000 crore) annually, to be shared equally between the Centre and states.
 

Asked by when the cash-back would be credited to the bank account, the Bihar deputy chief minister said the detailed modalities will be worked out once the GST Council clears the proposal.

He said based on the success of this move, the incentives will be extended to all card-holders at a later date.   

The Council had in its meeting on July 21 tasked the GoM to work out modalities for incentivising digital payments under GST for users of Rupay and BHIM. 

All Jan-Dhan account holders have Rupay cards, which has been launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). 

BHIM, a mobile app developed by NPCI, is based on the United Payment Interface (UPI) for cashless payments.
 

The GoM had last month decided to defer by a year the proposal to incentivise digital payments under GST citing revenue implications of doling out concessional tax rate.

At that time, the GoM was looking at incentivising digital payments using all modes of online payments.

However, the GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Piyush Goyal, at its latest meeting on July 21, asked the GoM to have a re-look at the possibility of the early introduction of concessions for digital payments. 

To incentivise digital transactions, the GST Council in its last meeting in May had discussed giving a concession of 2 per cent in GST rate (where the tax rate is 3 per cent or more) to consumers making payment through cheque or digital mode. The discount would be capped at Rs 100 per transaction.
 

The five-member GoM on incentivising digital transaction includes Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Nitinbhai Patel, West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra, Haryana Excise and Taxation Minister Capt Abhimanyu and Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal.