AC prices likely to go up

Air conditioner prices are expected to rise by 5-7 per cent in July-September due to growing raw material prices and the possible implementation of the Goods and Services Tax, an industry expert has said. “Raw material prices like copper, aluminium and steel have been steadily rising for the last few quarters. The proposed GST bracket for us would be 28 per cent, which is disappointing for the industry. All these could lead to a price hike by up to 5-7 per cent in July-September,” said Blue Star Ltd Joint Managing Director B. Thiagarajan.

GST’s tax collection at source will hurt sellers: E-commerce players

Admitting that the proposed Goods and Services Tax (GST) is a key reform which will simplify the tax compliance, e-commerce players, however, said the proposed tax collection at source will hurt lakhs of small sellers by making online sales expensive and cumbersome for them. “GST is a key tax reform, which will simplify the tax compliance burden for the entire economy. However, the proposal of tax collection at source, directed only at e-commerce marketplaces, in the Draft Model GST Law, will hurt lakhs of small sellers by making online sales expensive and cumbersome for them,” said Kunal Bahl, co-founder and CEO of Snapdeal.