Hair oil, soaps, toothpaste may get cheaper under GST

Experts feel that the 18% tax rate would have a positive impact on businesses

Coming July, consumers in the country may expect a cut on their monthly bills for three staple personal care items– hair oil, soap and toothpaste. As the much awaited goods and services tax(GST) comes into effect from July 1, prices of these three items are expected to come down owing to the lower tax rates.

Tax rates on branded goods have been slashed to 18 per cent, finance minister Arun Jaitley and secretary Husmukh Adhia announced on Thursday after a GST Council meeting at Srinagar. Currently, the effective tax rate for the three items is pegged at 23-24 percent. According