What gets cheaper as new GST rates kick in today? Here's a complete list

Apart from tax on sanitary pads being brought down from 12 per cent to zero, the GST council has recommended rate cut on an array of products which will be effective from this Friday

A number of goods ranging from daily use appliances such as vacuum cleaners, washing machines and small TV to a bunch of handicraft products will get cheaper from Friday. The 28th GST Council meeting held on 21 July had recommended cutting rates on more than 50 items.  

Tax on sanitary napkins along with several other products was brought down to zero in the meeting chaired by Finance Minister Piyush Goyal. Previously, sanitary napkins were taxed at 12 per cent.

Further, GST was slashed (from 18 per cent to 12 per cent) on an array of handicraft items such as handbags, wooden frames, handcrafted lamps etc. 

Also, handicraft items that used to attract 12 per cent GST, such as handmade carpets, lace, hand-woven tapestries and toran, have been brought under the 5 per cent bracket.

Footwear having a retail sale price between Rs 500 and Rs 1000 will attract a rate of 5 per cent from Friday, while those exceeding the Rs 1,000 mark will continue to attract 18 per cent GST.

Here are the things that will now be cheaper with new GST rates coming into effect from Friday:

1. Reduced from 28 per cent to 18 per cent

• Washing machines
• Vacuum cleaners
• Domestic electrical appliances such as food grinders and mixers & food or vegetable juice extractor, shaver, hair clippers etc
• Televisions up to the size of 68 cm
• Refrigerators, freezers and other refrigerating or freezing equipment including water coolers, milk coolers, refrigerating equipment for leather industry, ice cream freezer etc.
• Storage water heaters and immersion heaters, hair dryers,  hand dryers, electric smoothing irons etc
• Lithium-ion batteries
• Paints and varnishes (including enamels and lacquers)
• Glaziers’ putty, grafting putty, resin cements
• Special purpose motor vehicles. For instance, crane lorries, fire fighting vehicle, concrete mixer lorries, spraying lorries
• Works trucks (self-propelled, not fitted with lifting or handling equipment) of the type used in factories, warehouses, dock areas or airports for short transport of goods.
• Trailers and semi-trailers
• Miscellaneous articles such as scent sprays and similar toilet sprays, powder-puffs and pads for the application of cosmetics or toilet preparations

2. From 28 per cent to 12 per cent

• Fuel Cell Vehicle(compensation cess will also be exempted)

3. From 18/12/5 per cent to zero

• Sanitary Napkins
• Stone/Marble/Wood Deities
• Rakhi (other than that of precious or semi-precious material)
• Coir pith compost
• Sal Leaves, siali leaves and their products and Sabai Rope
• PhoolBhari Jhadoo (Raw material for Jhadoo)
• Khali dona
• Circulation and commemorative coins, sold by Security Printing and Minting Corporation of India Ltd (SPMCIL) to Ministry of Finance.

4. From 12 per cent to 5 per cent

• Chenille fabrics and other fabrics under heading 5801
• Handloom dari
• Phosphoric acid (fertilizer grade only)
• Knitted cap/topi having retail sale value not exceeding Rs 1000

5. From 18 per cent to 12 per cent

• Bamboo flooring
• Brass Kerosene Pressure Stove
• Hand Operated Rubber Roller
• Zip and Slide Fasteners

6. From 18 per cent to 5 per cent

• Ethanol for sale to oil marketing companies for blending with fuel
• Solid biofuel pellets