Minister's Big Remark Amid Row Over 28% GST Decision On Online Gaming

Online gaming players have expressed disappointment with the decision of the Goods and Services Tax Council to levy a 28 per cent tax on online games involving real money.

Amid the online gaming industry raising concerns over the levy of 28 per cent GST, Union minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar on Monday said the government may request the GST Council to consider the facts of new regulatory framework for the industry. The minister also mentioned that it took three years for the Council to reach a decision on online gaming.

Online gaming players have expressed disappointment with the decision of the Goods and Services Tax Council to levy a 28 per cent tax on online games involving real money. The Minister of State for Electronics and IT during a CNN-News 18 Townhall programme said that the GST Council is not the government of India but it is truly a federal organisation representing state governments and the centre.

"We have to also recognize that the process of creating a regulatory framework for online gaming only started in January 2023. We are only in the early stages of creating a predictable, sustainable permissible online gaming framework. So, we will do that and we will go back to the GST Council and maybe request their consideration on the facts of the new regulatory framework," Mr Chandrasekhar said.