Everyday services get cheaper: A salon, spa, gym or yoga session will now attract just 5% GST without input tax credit, instead of 18% with ITC earlier. For consumers, this means a Rs 2,000 salon bill will carry Rs 100 in tax instead of Rs 360. Businesses, however, lose input tax credit benefits.
Essentials also turn cheaper, with urban households paying less for soaps, shampoos, shaving cream, toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss and face powders, all now under the 5% slab. Prescription spectacles drop from 12–18% to 5%, and bicycles and parts will also be taxed at 5% instead of 12%. Mouthwash, however, remains excluded.
However, food deliveries buck the trend. From Sept. 22, delivery charges on Zomato, Swiggy, Magicpin and others will draw 18% GST. Depending on the platform, that adds Rs 2–2.6 per order, a pinch for frequent users during the festive season.
For city families balancing monthly bills, the rejig means lower spends on personal care and essentials, cheaper everyday services, but a higher cost for convenience-driven food delivery.
