GST-nomics: The right way to eat your popcorn and tax it too
A buddy of mine who continues to be in authorities informs me, sotto voce, that the following goal of the eagle-eyed council would be the even humbler condom. At the moment there is no such thing as a GST on condoms, however by extending the caramelised popcorn logic, a GST of 18 per cent is prone to be imposed on flavoured condoms as they shall come into the class of both sweets or fruits, relying on the flavour she fancies!
Is sensible, in the event you ask me; with each sweets and fruits having turn into so costly — 18 and 12 per cent GST respectively, in case you did not know — increasingly persons are getting their kicks out of flavoured condoms as an alternative — strawberry, mango, chocolate, rajbhog — to fulfill their candy er… tooth.
In keeping with a tweet by the CEO of Swiggy on 1 January 2025, condoms had been among the many most ordered gadgets on 31 December 2024 — 1.12 lakh packets on Swiggy and 4,779 on Blinkit; the overwhelming favourites had been the chocolate flavoured ones! The finance ministry could be on the best path to cut back its deficit.
However wait, that is not all, expensive reader, you have not even begun to fathom the genius of our tax-man. It is usually proposed that for condoms purchased/used out of wedlock, the GST charge shall be 28 per cent, for it then turns into a “sin items”. Good, is not it?
One’s marital standing shall be verified on the POS (level of sale, NOT level of intercourse), for which the federal government shall shortly be issuing, and making necessary, one other ID doc — the BAM (bespoke and married) card. The cardboard shall should be renewed yearly, given the rising incidence of divorces. Divorcees shall should pay the 28 per cent charge (in the event that they nonetheless need to have intercourse, that’s): one other intelligent transfer by this Vishwaguru authorities to discourage divorces.
Clearly, our GST mandarins have gone berserk. As one social media influencer identified, the British had imposed a salt tax, however our native born tsars have gone one higher by imposing the next sugar tax.
