In the biggest GST rejig yet, tax rates on over 200 items, were cut to provide relief to consumers and businesses amid economic slowdown.

The 23^rd Goods and Service Tax (GST) Council meeting on Friday recommended reduction in GST rate from 28% to 18% on goods falling in 178 headings at 4-digit level (including 4 tariff heading that are partially pruned).

After these changes, only 50 items will attract GST rate of 28%.

As per the new decisions, eating out in restaurants will become cheaper, since the GST rate has been reduced to 5% from 18%.

GST rate reduced from 28% to 18% for following goods:

Wire, cables, insulated conductors, electrical insulators, electrical plugs, switches, sockets, fuses, relays, electrical connectors

Electrical boards, panels, consoles, cabinets etc for electric control or distribution

Particle/fibre boards and ply-wood. Article of wood, wooden frame, paving block

Furniture, mattress, bedding and similar furnishing

Trunk, suitcase, vanity cases, brief cases, travelling bags and other hand bags, cases

Detergents, washing and cleaning preparations

Liquid or cream for washing the skin

Shampoos; Hair cream, Hair dyes (natural, herbal or synthetic) and similar other goods; henna powder or paste, not mixed with any other ingredient;

Pre-shave, shaving or after-shave preparations, personal deodorants, bath preparations, perfumery, cosmetic or toilet preparations, room deodorisers

Perfumes and toilet waters

Beauty or make-up preparations

Fans, pumps, compressors

Lamp and light fitting

Primary cell and primary batteries

Sanitary ware and parts thereof of all kind

Articles of plastic, floor covering, baths, shower, sinks, washbasins, seats, sanitary ware of plastic

Slabs of marbles and granite

Goods of marble and granite such as tiles

Ceramic tiles of all kinds

Miscellaneous articles such as vacuum flasks, lighters,

Wrist watches, clocks, watch movement, watch cases, straps, parts

Article of apparel & clothing accessories of leather, guts, furskin, artificial fur and other articles such as saddlery and harness for any animal

Articles of cutlery, stoves, cookers and similar non electric domestic appliances

Razor and razor blades

Multi-functional printers, cartridges

Office or desk equipment

Door, windows and frames of aluminium.

Articles of plaster such as board, sheet,

Articles of cement or concrete or stone and artificial stone,

Articles of asphalt or slate,

Articles of mica

Ceramic flooring blocks, pipes, conduit, pipe fitting

Wall paper and wall covering

Glass of all kinds and articles thereof such as mirror, safety glass, sheets, glassware

Electrical, electronic weighing machinery

Fire extinguishers and fire extinguishing charge

Fork lifts, lifting and handling equipment,

Bull dozers, excavators, loaders, road rollers,

Earth moving and levelling machinery,

Escalators, Cooling towers, pressure vessels, reactors

Crankshaft for sewing machine, tailor’s dummies, bearing housings, gears and gearing; ball or roller screws; gaskets

Electrical apparatus for radio and television broadcasting

Sound recording or reproducing apparatus

Signalling, safety or traffic control equipment for transports

Physical exercise equipment, festival and carnival equipment, swings, shooting galleries, roundabouts, gymnastic and athletic equipment

All musical instruments and their parts

Artificial flowers, foliage and artificial fruits

Explosive, anti-knocking preparation, fireworks

Cocoa butter, fat, oil powder,

Extract, essence ad concentrates of coffee, miscellaneous food preparations

Chocolates, Chewing gum / bubble gum

Malt extract and food preparations of flour, groats, meal, starch or malt extract

Waffles and wafers coated with chocolate or containing chocolate

Rubber tubes and miscellaneous articles of rubber

Goggles, binoculars, telescope,

Cinematographic cameras and projectors, image projector,

Microscope, specified laboratory equipment, specified scientific equipment such as for meteorology, hydrology, oceanography, geology

Solvent, thinners, hydraulic fluids, anti-freezing preparation

GST rate reduced from 28% to 12% for following goods:

Wet grinders consisting of stone as grinder

Tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles

Other changes/rationalisation of GST rates on goods:

A) 18% to 12%

Condensed milk

Refined sugar and sugar cubes

Pasta

Curry paste, mayonnaise and salad dressings, mixed condiments and mixed seasoning

Diabetic food

Medicinal grade oxygen

Printing ink

Hand bags and shopping bags of jute and cotton

Hats (knitted or crocheted)

Parts of specified agricultural, horticultural, forestry, harvesting or threshing machinery

Specified parts of sewing machine

Spectacles frames

Furniture wholly made of bamboo or cane

B) 18% to 5%

Puffed rice chikki, peanut chikki, sesame chikki, revdi, tilrevdi, khaza, kazuali, groundnut sweets, gatta, kuliya

Flour of potatoes put up in unit container bearing a brand name

Chutney powder

Fly ash

Sulphur recovered in refining of crude

Fly ash aggregate with 90% or more fly ash content

C) 12% to 5%

Desiccated coconut

Narrow woven fabric including cotton newar (with no refund of unutilised input tax credit)

Idli, dosa batter

Finished leather, chamois and composition leather

Coir cordage and ropes, jute twine, coir products

Fishing net and fishing hooks

Worn clothing

Fly ash brick

D) 5% to nil

Guar meal

Hop cone (other than grounded, powdered or in pellet form)

Certain dried vegetables such as sweet potatoes, maniac

Unworked coconut shell

Fish frozen or dried (not put up in unit container bearing a brand name)

Khandsari sugar

E)  Miscellaneous

GST rates on aircraft engines from 28%/18% to 5%, aircraft tyres from 28% to 5% and aircraft seats from 28% to 5%.

GST rate on bangles of lac/shellac from 3% GST rate to Nil.