There is a GST rate finder app to assist you with accurate tax rates

GST Rates Finder app is available on the Google Play store

To end the confusion around the multiple tax slabs, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley on Friday launched an app called the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Rates Finder, along with Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) officials. The app, available on the Android platform, is expected to assist users in finding accurate rates under the new tax regime. According to CBEC, the GST Rate Finder app will soon be available on the iOS platform as well.

The app is available on the Google Play store and its description reads: 'A simple app to search through the various goods and services and their respective GST Rates and details. Search the entire list or respective categories of taxes for Goods and Services'.

How does the GST Rate Finder app work?

To find out the required tax rate:

1. Enter the name or chapter heading of the commodity or service in the search box provided

2. Search result will list all the goods and services containing the name which was typed in the search box

3. Scroll down the list of description

4. Click on any specific item on the list. A display window will pop-up, containing details such as the GST rate, description of goods or services and the chapter heading of the Harmonised System of Nomenclature (HSN).

For example, any person who has been billed by a hotel or a restaurant or for footwear can cross verify the correctness of the rate of GST charged.

Users can download the app on any smartphone. GST Rate Finder app can be used in offline mode, once downloaded.

Apart from functioning as a mobile app, the CBEC has also provided a GST rate finder on its portal (cbec-gst.gov.in) to help the taxpayers know the applicable GST rate on their supplies of goods and services. A taxpayer can search for applicable rates of Central, State, Union Territory GST and compensation cess on a supply.

Further, over 500 FAQs related to GST are available online at cbec.gov.in in Hindi, English and other 10 other regional languages.

GST, rolled out from July 1, replaces service tax, excise, VAT and over a dozen local levies. All goods and services are now classified under four tax slabs of 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent.