During a meeting of the GST Council the Commerce and Industry Ministry Nirmala Sitharaman made a case for lower taxation for the leather and plantation sectors and for exporters importing capital goods under special incentive schemes. Some services sectors are also on the radar for lower taxation, such as tourism, travel, hospitality and health.

Commerce and Industry Ministry pressed the GST Council to keep exports out of the GST framework and levy lower taxes on labour-intensive sectors: “The leather industry and the plantation sectors provide a lot of employment. These need to be encouraged”.