Minister's Big Remark Amid Row Over 28% GST Decision On Online Gaming

Amid the online gaming industry raising concerns over the levy of 28 per cent GST, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday said the government may request the GST Council to consider the facts of new regulatory framework for the industry.

Tamil Nadu BJP chief K Annamalai on Saturday accused the ruling DMK of undertaking a disinformation campaign against the Centre issues including the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), and said the truth will be exposed in the forthcoming Parliament session.

Shaadi.com founder and Shark Tank India judge Anupam Mittal slammed the move, saying that entrepreneurs should now build rockets rather than gaming companies.

Online gaming companies on Tuesday said that levying of 28 percent GST will limit their ability to invest in new games, impacting cash flows as well as business expansion. The All India Gaming Federation (AIGF), which represents companies like Nazara, GamesKraft, Zupee and Winzo, said the decision by the council is unconstitutional, irrational, and egregious.

The $1.5 billion online gaming industry has surged in popularity in recent years and attracted foreign investment.

The GST Council has announced that the bets placed in online gaming and casinos will now face 28 per cent tax.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleged today that with the Goods and Services Tax (GST) being linked with the Enforcement Directorate (ED), even those traders paying the tax can be arrested by the federal agency.

Delhi minister Atishi today said that the linking of Goods and Services Tax (GST) with the Enforcement Directorate (ED), could lead to the arrest of even those traders who pay tax.

The Kolkata Zonal Unit of the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) has arrested one person for his alleged involvement in operating syndicates in 19 states, officials said Monday.

The central government on Saturday issued a notification to bring the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

GST collections in Delhi NCT have been rising consistently over the past several years.

GST authorities have so far cancelled over 4,900 GST registrations and detected tax evasion of over Rs 15,000 crore during the ongoing two-month drive to weed out fake GSTINs which will end on July 15, a senior tax official said on Wednesday.

A 34-year-old alleged mastermind of a fake input tax credit racket, which caused a loss of Rs 176 crore to the government by floating fictitious companies in the names of poor people, has been arrested while attempting to flee the country.

Six years after Goods and Services Tax revenue of Rs 1.5 lakh crore every month has become a new normal and tax officers are focusing on dealing with fraudsters who are adopting newer modus operandi to game the system, causing loss to the exchequer.