Question 1

We pay for foreign software subscriptions and overseas consultants. Is GST payable in India?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Import of services, meaning services from a supplier located outside India received by a person in India for business, attracts IGST under reverse charge in the recipient's hands, payable in cash and claimable as ITC if eligible. This catches cloud software, foreign professional fees, overseas advertising and licence fees. Two nuances matter: services from a related foreign party, such as your parent company, are taxable even without consideration under Schedule I, and OIDAR services supplied to unregistered consumers are taxed in the foreign supplier's own hands, not under RCM. Startups and IT firms in Karapakkam paying by card frequently miss these entries; reconcile foreign remittances against RCM paid annually.

Question 2

Which goods and services attract the new 40 percent GST rate?

Accepted Answer

The 40 percent rate is confined to luxury and demerit supplies. It covers aerated waters, caffeinated and other sugary carbonated beverages, large cars beyond the small-car specifications, motorcycles above 350cc, yachts, personal aircraft, and specified actionable claims such as betting, casinos and online money gaming. Pan masala and tobacco products continue under their earlier levy structure until the compensation cess obligations are discharged, after which they move to the 40 percent rate as notified. If your business deals in any of these lines, pricing and working capital need careful planning.

Question 3

Is GST payable on hostel or paying guest accommodation in Karapakkam?

Accepted Answer

A specific exemption effective 15 July 2024 covers accommodation services supplied at a value up to Rs.20,000 per person per month, provided the accommodation is supplied for a minimum continuous period of ninety days. Student hostels and working men's or women's PGs in Karapakkam charging within this limit for long stays are therefore exempt. Where the monthly charge exceeds Rs.20,000, or the stay is shorter than ninety days, the supply is taxable like ordinary accommodation. Operators should maintain stay records and agreements evidencing the duration, because the ninety-day condition is what officers test first during verification.

Question 4

What is the default place of supply rule for services within India?

Accepted Answer

Section 12(2) of the IGST Act sets the general rule for domestic services: if the recipient is registered, the place of supply is the recipient's location; if unregistered, it is the recipient's address on your records, and failing that, the supplier's own location. So a consultant in Karapakkam advising a registered company in Hyderabad charges IGST, while the same advice to a local walk-in individual attracts CGST plus SGST. This default yields only to the specific rules for immovable property, events, transportation, and a few other categories, so always check whether a specific rule captures your service before falling back on the general one.

Question 5

How do I document free samples and gifts given to customers?

Accepted Answer

Goods supplied genuinely free of cost to unrelated persons are not a supply, so no tax invoice is raised and no GST is charged; the movement is covered by a delivery challan marked as free samples. The cost is that input tax credit on those goods must be reversed. Two traps deserve care: gifts to related persons or between distinct GSTINs of the same PAN are taxable under Schedule I even without consideration, and promotional schemes like buy one get one are treated as a single price for two items, taxed normally with credit intact. Structure your Karapakkam promotions with this distinction in mind.

Question 6

What GST rate applies to cars and two-wheelers now?

Accepted Answer

Small cars, meaning petrol cars up to 1200cc and diesel cars up to 1500cc with length not exceeding 4 metres, attract 18 percent GST, down sharply from the earlier 28 percent plus cess. Larger cars, SUVs above these specifications, attract the 40 percent rate, but with the compensation cess gone, the overall burden on most of them is still lower than before. Motorcycles up to 350cc are at 18 percent, while those above 350cc attract 40 percent. Electric vehicles continue at a concessional 5 percent. Dealers must also apply these rates to demo vehicle sales.

Question 7

What is the penalty for running a business without GST registration?

Accepted Answer

A taxable person who is liable to register but fails to do so faces a penalty of Rs.10,000 or the amount of tax evaded, whichever is higher, under Section 122 of the CGST Act. Beyond the penalty, the department can demand the tax for the entire unregistered period with interest at 18 percent per annum, and you cannot recover that tax from customers you billed without GST. Goods moved without registration and e-way bills, required for consignments above Rs.50,000, also risk detention. If your turnover has crossed the threshold, registering within thirty days is far cheaper than regularising later.

Question 8

What does a GST consultant in Karapakkam typically charge for refund and compliance work?

Accepted Answer

Fees vary with complexity. Simple filings such as an LUT or an excess cash ledger refund are usually fixed-fee assignments, while export and inverted duty refunds involve invoice statements, formula workings and departmental follow-up, so they may be priced as a fixed fee or a small percentage of the refund secured. Monthly reconciliation and return packages are subscription-based. ChennaiGST publishes transparent pricing starting at Rs.999 with no percentage cut on straightforward claims, and you pay only after the scope is agreed in writing. Call +91 - 9600 606 444 for a quote specific to your turnover and refund type.

Question 9

By when must I issue a tax invoice when I sell goods?

Accepted Answer

For goods, Section 31 requires the tax invoice to be issued before or at the time of removal of the goods, where the supply involves movement, or before or at the time of delivery or making the goods available in other cases. In simple terms, the invoice must travel with the goods; a lorry leaving your Karapakkam godown without an invoice is exposed to detention even if the e-way bill exists. For continuous supplies of goods with successive statements or payments, the invoice must be issued when each statement is issued or each payment is received.

Question 10

Why is my e-way bill generation blocked on the portal?

Accepted Answer

Under Rule 138E, the e-way bill facility is blocked when a taxpayer has not filed GSTR-3B (or CMP-08 for composition dealers) for two or more consecutive tax periods. Since an e-way bill is mandatory for moving goods worth more than Rs.50,000, blocking effectively halts dispatches. The remedy is straightforward: file the pending returns with late fee and interest, after which the facility unblocks automatically, usually the next day. Transporters and suppliers can also be affected when a counterparty GSTIN is blocked. We clear return backlogs for businesses in Karapakkam on priority; call +91 - 9600 606 444.

Question 11

Is GST applicable on rent for my shop or office premises?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Renting of commercial property such as shops, offices, godowns and industrial sheds is a taxable supply of services at 18 percent, charged by the landlord under forward charge once the landlord's aggregate turnover, including this rent, crosses Rs.20 lakh. The tenant, if registered and using the premises for business, can claim the GST as input tax credit, since renting is not a blocked credit. Landlords with several small commercial properties often cross the threshold without realising it, because rent from all properties on the same PAN is clubbed. A yearly turnover check protects against retrospective demands.

Question 12

Are hospital and clinic charges exempt from GST?

Accepted Answer

Healthcare services provided by a clinical establishment, an authorised medical practitioner or paramedics are exempt from GST. This covers diagnosis, treatment and care for illness, injury, deformity or pregnancy in any recognised system of medicine in India, and includes transportation of patients by ambulance, which is separately exempt for any provider. Consultation fees, surgery charges, nursing and diagnostic services within this definition carry no GST, which is why hospitals do not charge tax on treatment bills. The exemption attaches to the nature of the service, not the size of the hospital, so both a large corporate hospital and a single-doctor clinic are covered.

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