Indirect Taxes in India - Know Types & Benefits of Indirect Taxes

From 1stJuly 2017, most of the indirect taxes have been brought under the ambit of Goods and Services Tax (GST).There are two types of taxes in India - direct and indirect. Direct taxes are those which are charged on the income of an individual. On the other hand, indirect taxes are not levied directly on the income of an individual. Rather, they are levied through a channel of consumption.These taxes are usually levied on sellers of goods and services who pass on the tax burden to the buyers. The government collects the tax from the seller(s). Since the end consumer directly does not pay the tax to the government, hence, it is an indirect tax. Let’s learn more about the different kinds of indirect taxes in India.

In India, a consumer earlier paid several indirect taxes including sales tax, services tax, central excise duty, additional customs duty, state-level value added tax and octroi tax, among others. With the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from 1stJuly 2017, almost all the indirect taxes, have been subsumed under GST. Now, all these taxes are paid as one tax called the GST.However, there are some indirect taxes which have not been brought under the radar of GST. Customs duty , security transaction tax , building and welfare cess and electricity duty levied by local authorities and state governments are some of them.Below is a list of indirect taxes that are levied on the supply of good and services in India, which now is taxed under the common name of GST

Excise duty is levied on goods and services that are produced in India. This is a tax on manufacturing which is paid by the manufacturer to the government. The manufacturer distributes and passes this tax on the end consumers.

It is a tax on the consumption of a product, and it is levied on its value when additional or margin value is added to the product during the subsequent stages of production, starting from the point of production to the point of sale. The tax goes on adding at every stage of production as per the value addition.

Service tax is a tax levied on the service providers. It is levied on services like air-conditioned restaurants, accommodation provided by the hotel, inns, services provided by travel agents, cab services, cable services, etc. The idea behind service tax is similar to that of excise duty. The incidence of this tax applies to the disbursement of services.Note that there are some taxes which are indirect in nature and have not been included under the spectrum of GST. Customs duty and securities transaction tax are two of them.Ready to make the most of your money? Start your tax planning journey now!

The information contained herein is generic in nature and is meant for educational purposes only. Nothing here is to be construed as an investment or financial or taxation advice nor to be considered as an invitation or solicitation or advertisement for any financial product. Readers are advised to exercise discretion and should seek independent professional advice prior to making any investment decision in relation to any financial product. Aditya Birla Capital Group is not liable for any decision arising out of the use of this information.