The GST Council made several decisions at its 53rd meeting, chaired by Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman on 22nd June, 2024, impacting the daily lives of common people. Here’s a summary of the major decisions:

Changes in GST Tax Rates on Goods and Services:

1. Goods:
a) Milk cans (steel, iron, aluminum) will now attract 12% GST.
b) Paperboard boxes and cartons: GST reduced from 18% to 12%.
c) Solar cookers: Now taxed at 12%.
d) Poultry machinery parts: Specified to attract 12% GST.
e) Sprinklers, including fire sprinklers: Taxed at 12%.
f) Defence imports: Certain items exempt from IGST for five more years.
g) Beverages and energy drinks: Exempted from Compensation Cess when supplied to defense canteens.

2. Services:
a) Indian Railways services: Exempted from GST. This includes platform tickets, retiring rooms, waiting rooms, cloak room services, and battery-operated car services.
b) Accommodation services: GST exempt for rents up to Rs. 20,000 per month if rented for at least 90 days.

Measures for Trade Facilitation:
1. Waiver of interest/penalty: For taxpayers who pay due taxes by March 31, 2025, for the fiscal years 2017-18 to 2019-20.
2. Reduced pre-deposit for appeals: To ease financial burden, the pre-deposit amounts for filing GST appeals have been lowered.
3. No GST on Extra Neutral Alcohol: Used in manufacturing alcoholic beverages.
4. Lower TCS rate for e-commerce: Reduced from 1% to 0.5%.

Compliance and Procedural Changes:
1. Extended time for filing returns for composition taxpayers: Due date moved from April 30 to June 30.
2. Relaxation for delayed filing interest: If payment is made by the due date.
3. Refund mechanism for additional IGST: Facilitating refunds for exporters who pay additional IGST due to price revisions.
4. No annual return filing for small taxpayers: Those with a turnover up to Rs. 2 crore for FY 2023-24.

Enhancements to GST System:
1. Biometric-based Aadhaar authentication: To combat fraudulent claims.
2. Unified time limit for demand notices: Simplifying the process by having a single time limit for issuing demand notices irrespective of fraud or misstatement.

These decisions are aimed at simplifying tax compliance, reducing the financial burden on businesses, and ensuring clarity in tax regulations, thereby benefiting both traders and the general public.