GST on license fee charged by the States for grant of Liquor licences to vendors. - GST - States - 76/2019-GST

GOVERNMENT OF ASSAM OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF TAXES, ASSAM KAR BHAWAN DISPUR, GUWAHATI-6 CIRCULAR NO. 76/2019-GST Dated Dispur the 14th October, 2019. Subject: - GST on license fee charged by the States for grant of Liquor licences to vendors. No. CT/GST-15/Pt-I/2017/187.- Services proved by the Government to business entities including by way of grant of privileges, licences, mining rights, natural resources such as spectrum etc. against payment of consideration in the form of fee, royalty etc. are taxable under GST. Same was the position under Service Tax regime also with effect from 1st April, 2016. Tax is required to be paid by the business entities on such services under reverse charge. 2. GST Council in its 26th meeting held on 10.03.2018, recommended that GST was not leviable on license fee and application fee, by whatever name it is called, payable for alcoholic liquor for human consumption and that this would apply mutatis mutandis to the demand raised by Service Tax/Excise authorities on license fee for alcoholic liquor for human consumption in the pre-GST era, i.e. for the period from 01-04-2016 to 30-062017. 3. Grant of liquor licences by State Government against payment of consideration in the form of licence fee, application fee. etc. was a taxable service under Service Tax, therefore to implement GST Council's recommendation, Central Government decided to exempt service provided or agreed to be provided by way of grant of liquor licence by the State Government, against consideration in the form of licence fee or application fee, by whatever name called, during the period from 01.04.2016 to 30.06.2017. Clause No. 117 of Finance (No. 2) Act, 2019 may be referred in this regard. 4. GST Council in its 37th meeting held on 20.09.2019 further recommended that the decision of the 26th GST Council meeting be implemented by notifying service by way of grant of alcoholic liquor licence, against consideration in the form of licence fee or application fee or by whatever name it is called, by State Government as neither a supply of goods nor a supply of service. Therefore, in exercise of powers conferred under subsection 2 (b) of section 7 of Assam Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, Rate Notification No. 25/2019-State Tax (Rate) is being issued. 5. GST Council further decided in the 37th meeting held on 20.09.2019, to clarify that this special dispensation applies only to supply of service by way of grant of liquor licenses by the State Governments as an agreement between the Centre and States and has no applicability or precedence value in relation to grant of other licenses and privileges for a fee in other situations, where GST is payable. 6. This Circular is clarificatory in nature and not meant for any interpretation of provisions of the Act and rules. 7. Difficulties, if any, in implementation of the above instructions may be brought to the notice of the Commissioner at an early date. 8. This Circular shall be deemed to have been issued on 11 th October, 2019. Sd/- Anurag Goel, IAS., Commissioner of State tax, Assam, Dispur, Guwahati Memo No. CT/GST-15/Pt-I/2017/187-A Dated Dispur the 14th October, 2019.