(Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi)

Summary of Points Finalized in the Meeting

1. Approval of Draft GST Rules on Input Tax Credit, Valuation, Transitional Provisions and Composition

The Council approved in principle the four draft GST Rules on:

Input Tax Credit (ITC)

Valuation

Transitional Provisions

Composition

It was decided that:

These Rules would incorporate modifications suggested during the officers’ meeting held on 31 March 2017.

The Rule on valuation of lottery tickets would be deleted, and lottery would be taxed at its face value.

The revised Rules would be circulated to States and put in the public domain for stakeholder feedback before final Council approval.
13th GST Council Meeting, pages 2–3, 3

2. Approval of Amendments to Five Previously Approved GST Rules

The Council approved amendments to the five draft Rules earlier cleared in the 2nd GST Council Meeting (September 2016):

Registration

Return

Payment

Refund

Invoice, Debit/Credit Note

Amendments were made to align the Rules with:

The latest Model GST Law,

The new Union Territory GST (UTGST) Act,

Feedback from trade, industry, and officers.

Key discussion:

North-Eastern States proposed lowering the invoice value threshold from ₹50,000 to ₹20,000 for recording buyer details to avoid revenue loss, but the Council maintained a uniform national threshold of ₹50,000 to reduce compliance burden.
13th GST Council Meeting, pages 3–4, 4

3. Entry Tax and Form-C for Petroleum Products

The Council discussed the issue of Form-C for inter-State sales of petroleum products.

The Minister from Chhattisgarh proposed abolition of Form-C since Entry 52 (List II) of the Constitution (States’ power to levy entry tax) had been deleted.

The matter was deferred for detailed examination and inclusion as a separate agenda item in a future meeting.
13th GST Council Meeting, page 4

4. Confidentiality of Proposed GST Rate Fitment

The Council decided that fitment proposals for tax rates on goods and services would not be circulated in advance to avoid market distortion, hoarding, or speculation.

Rate proposals would be discussed and finalized directly during Council meetings.
13th GST Council Meeting, page 5

5. Area-Based Industrial Exemption Reimbursement

The Minister from Uttarakhand raised the issue of pending reimbursements under the area-based excise exemption scheme.

The Council confirmed that 58% of the Central Excise exemption would be reimbursed by the Centre to eligible industries once the DIPP reimbursement mechanism was finalized before 1 July 2017.
13th GST Council Meeting, page 5

6. CST Compensation to States

The Minister from Uttar Pradesh raised the issue of delayed CST compensation.

The Centre confirmed that 50% of the first installment had been released and the remaining 50% (approx. ₹4,000 crore) would be released shortly.
13th GST Council Meeting, page 5

7. Preparation for GST Rollout and Future Agenda

The Council noted that nine primary GST Rules had been finalized.

Next steps identified:

Draft remaining minor GST Rules and place them for public consultation.

Complete fitment of rates for goods and services for Council discussion.

Next Council meeting scheduled for 18–19 May 2017 in Srinagar.
13th GST Council Meeting, page 6 Key Outcome:
The 13th GST Council Meeting successfully approved nine sets of GST Rules (including new and amended ones) and laid the groundwork for final rate fitment discussions and industrial policy transitions ahead of the GST rollout on 1 July 2017.