Logistics associations meet GST Working Group; seek exemption for ex-im trade services

In a bid to ensure the smooth implementation of GST, the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) constituted ‘GST Working Groups’ to interact with select industry sectors to address their concerns relating to GST implementation issues. J. M. Kennedy, ADG DGR, Working Group, Transport & Logistics-GST had an interactive meeting in Chennai with the logistics Industry leaders from Federation of Freight Forwarders Associations in India (FFFAI), Air Cargo Agents Association of India (ACAAI), Association of Multimodal Transport Operators of India (AMTOI) and Consolidators Association of India (CAI).
The associations maintained that there are certain provisions in the proposed GST Law causing concerns for freight forwarding, customs broking, logistics services and manufacturing & exports industry in the country. The joint delegation emphasised on exemption from new tax burden to be levied by GST structure on the freight forwarding, customs broking and logistics industry as a whole, which hitherto have been exempted to make Indian manufacturing & export less expensive and competitive in the international market.