GST Council to ease e-commerce, export norms; drop arrest provision, boost state revenues

The GST Council, at its meeting on October 8, is likely to push a series of process reforms aimed at making compliance easier for businesses, including easing registration for sellers on e-commerce platforms, removing arrest provisions under GST law and resolving ambiguities around the export of services through overseas branches of Indian companies, according to sources aware of the matter.

The Council is also likely to revisit the definition of exports to align it more closely with commercial activities that generate foreign exchange, while ensuring that state revenues are protected and, preferably, enhanced, the sources said.