GST Rates Unchanged for Phones, TVs, and Fridges; Media Outlets Mislead Public - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
July 5, 2023
A post shared on social media claims that mobile phones, TVs, and refrigerators have become cheaper due to a reduction in the GST rate from 31.3% to 18% by the Government of India. Let’s verify the claim made in the post.
Claim: Mobile phones, TVs, and refrigerators have become cheaper due to a reduction in the GST rate from 31.3% to 18% by the Government of India.
Fact: The government of India has not made any official announcement regarding the revision of tax rates on the mentioned household items. The tax rates that were fixed on 01 April 2023 remain unchanged to date.  The current GST rates for mobile phones, televisions (below 32 inches), and refrigerators are 18%. The last revision of these rates occurred in 2020 for mobile phones (from 12% to 18%), in 2018 for refrigerators and televisions (up to 32 inches) (from 28% to 18%). Hence, the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
According to the official website of the GST Council, on 01 July 2017, GST laws were implemented in India, replacing a complex web of central and state taxes. The Indian GST system categorizes goods and services into different tax slabs, which include 5%, 12%, 18%, and a maximum of 28% as opposed to the 31.3% mentioned in the viral post. To commemorate the 6th anniversary of the implementation of GST, a GST Day event was celebrated in Delhi on 01 July 2023. Addressing the gathering, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman highlighted the advantages of GST for the people of India by comparing the taxation on various goods before and after the introduction of GST.
The Ministry of Finance’s official Twitter handle earlier shared the same information but did not explicitly refer to it as the comparison of the tax rates pre- and post-GST periods. Instead, they used the terms “earlier” and “now.” This terminology led social media users to believe that the government reduced GST rates on the mentioned household goods.
With reduced taxes, #GST brings happiness to every home: Relief through #GST on household appliances and mobile phones 👇#6YearsofGST #TaxReforms #GSTforGrowth pic.twitter.com/6qbdaERpzp
Furthermore, media outlets such as Zee News, ABP Live, News18, Jagran, India TV, etc, based on the aforementioned tweet, published articles claiming that the government had indeed lowered the GST rates on these items.
However, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs, responsible for administering indirect taxes in India, has effectively addressed the confusion through its official Twitter handle. They posted the tax rates on various household items before and after the implementation of GST, providing clear information.
With reduced taxes, #GST brings happiness to every home: Relief through #GST on household appliances and mobile phones.#6YearsofGST pic.twitter.com/JzMGqZjFSA
It is important to note that the GST Council has not made any official announcement regarding the revision of tax rates on the mentioned household items recently. The tax rates that were fixed on 01 April 2023, remain unchanged to date. According to the CBIC website, the current GST rates for mobile phones, televisions (below 32 inches), and refrigerators are 18%. The last revision of these rates occurred in 2020 for mobile phones (from 12% to 18%), and in 2018 for refrigerators and televisions (up to 32 inches) (from 28% to 18%).
To sum it up, the government of India has not reduced the GST rates of TVs, Mobile phones, and Refrigerators recently.