GST Composition Scheme - Manoj Gurukul

GST Composition Scheme-

Introduction

Composition Scheme under GST is a relief mechanism, especially for small tax payers, wherein they can not only have comparatively less tedious compliance practices to deal with, but also pay GST at a lower, fixed composition tax rate on their turnover. Thus, it is important for businesses to be clear about, what is composition scheme.

GST Composition Scheme Eligibility

Turnover Limit for GST Composition Scheme

Any tax payer, whose turnover is less then INR 1.5 Crore, in Rest of India, and less then INR 75 Lakhs in Special Category States (North Eastern States and Himachal Pradesh), can opt for the composition scheme under GST. The point to be noted is that the GST composition scheme limit is based on the turnover of all businesses which are registered with the same PAN, and thus all businesses under the same PAN can either be registered regular dealers or can be composition dealers – not a combination of both.

Persons Ineligible for the GST Composition Scheme

The following taxable persons cannot opt for the composition scheme under GST:

·         Taxpayer supplying Exempt supplies

·         Supplier of services other than restaurant related services

·         Manufacturer of ice cream, pan masala, or tobacco

·         Casual Taxable Person or a Non-resident Taxable Person

·         Businesses which supply goods through an e-commerce operator

GST Composition Scheme Rules

A business will need to comply with the following rules, as per the composition scheme under GST:

·         No Input Tax Credit can be claimed

·         No Inter-state supply of goods can be done

·         No GST exempted goods can be supplied

·         As per the composition scheme rules, tax need to be paid at normal GST rates for transactions under Reverse Charge Mechanism

·         If a taxable person has multiple segments of businesses under the same PAN, they must all collectively opt for or opt out of the composition scheme

·         The words 'composition taxable person' must be displayed prominently on every notice or signboard at the place of business

·         As per the composition scheme bill format, the words 'composition taxable person' must be displayed prominently on every bill of supply which is issued

·         Services worth up to INR 5 Lakh can be supplied under the scheme, by a taxable person who is also supplying goods

GST Composition Scheme Last Date for Applying

To opt for the composition scheme a taxpayer has to file GST CMP-02 on the GST portal. The composition scheme registration, should be done at the beginning of every financial year, for which a dealer wants to opt for the composition scheme. In other words the GST composition scheme last date for the next year will be 31st of March of the previous financial year.

Composition Scheme Billing

Bill of Supply under GST

As per the GST composition scheme rules, a composition dealer cannot issue a GST tax invoice, because he can neither charge tax from his customers, nor claim input tax credit. In other words, the tax needs to be paid out of their own pocket. Thus, as per the rules with regards to the GST composition scheme bill format, a composition dealer needs to issue a Bill of Supply, and in addition the words ‘composition taxable person’ should be clearly mentioned on it, as discussed above.

GST Composition Scheme Rate

The GST Composition Scheme Rate is a standard lower rate of tax, which is specified as follows:

Entity	Composition Tax Rates
Manufacturer & Traders of Goods	1%
Restaurants not serving alcohol for human consumption	5%

Service providers are not eligible to apply for composition scheme. However, a taxable person who is supplying goods, and is under the composition levy may provide services up to INR 5 Lakh, as discussed above.

Composition Scheme Return Filing

A composition scheme dealer is required to file a quarterly return i.e. Form GSTR-4 by the 18th of the month after the end of the quarter. Also, an annual return i.e. Form GSTR-9A has to be filed by the 31st of December of the next financial year.

Also, it is worth noting, that for the sake of compliance under GST, a composition dealer is not required to maintain detailed records, in order to file returns.

Advantages of Composition Scheme

The following are the advantages, small businesses can expect out from registering under the composition scheme:

·         Lesser compliance activity

·         Limited tax liability

·         High cash liquidity as the composition scheme rate under GST is lower compared to the usual GST rates

Disadvantages of Composition Scheme

The following are the disadvantages of composition scheme, which a business will need to keep in mind, before taking the decision to go ahead:

·         Not allowed to carry out inter-state transactions

·         Not eligible to collect tax from customers and not eligible to claim Input Tax Credit

·         Not eligible to supply exempt goods

·         Not eligible to drive business on e-commerce