The GST Council will soon start publishing rates of various products to prod companies to pass on gains, including those from input tax credit. The Council in its latest meeting rationalised rates of 19 services including textile jobs and government work contracts, cut taxes on certain tractor parts to 18 percent from 28 percent, and approved e-way bill rules that will remove checkposts at state borders, it will likely be publishing rates of various products, as states such as Kerala, West Bengal and Bihar led the charge to lay down the process and pressurise companies to reduce prices as several ministers argued that prices have not come down after GST.
However, there were some dissent too and some ministers wanted to let companies decide on pricing, at least in the short term, arguing that it will be against the spirit of empowering businesses and making life simpler. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley too said that the benefit of input tax credit (ITC) should go to customers. "Hope we don’t get to a situation where we have to immediately approve the authority".
While the mechanism has been put in place, the Centre and states are yet to issue detailed guidelines on how prices would be monitored at the entity or product category level. Meanwhile, states will likely set up the screening committees for anti-profiteering within the next 15 days. Such a framework will ensure that companies don't arbitrarily raise prices of goods just before or after the implementation of GST from July 1. Under the rules, a National Anti-profiteering Authority can be set up that will be empowered to probe cases suspected to have not cut prices despite lower taxes.