CBEC launches 'GST Rates Finder' app to ease compliance

Aiming to enhance the ease of doing business post the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) on Friday launched a mobile app 'GST Rates Finder' to assist users find accurate rates under the new tax regime.

Launched by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, the app is available on Android platform and will soon be available on iOS platform as well. This app helps users to find rates of GST levied on various goods and services. It can be downloaded on any smart phone and can work in offline mode, once downloaded.

To find the required rate, users can enter the name or chapter heading of the commodity or service in the search box provided. The search result will list all the goods and services containing the name which was typed in the search box. The user can scroll down the list of description and when any specific item on the list is clicked, the 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).

Apart from functioning as a mobile app, the CBEC has also provided a GST rate finder on its portal 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.

This will empower not only the taxpayers, but every citizen of the nation, to ascertain the correct GST rate on goods and services.