Goods and Services Tax and the MRP sticker conundrum

Mint, a business newspaper, quotes Safir Anand on his views on the challenges and alternatives of using new MRP stickers under the new Goods and Services Tax regime.

In the wake of the GST reform sweeping across India, government guidelines call for new Maximum Retail Price (MRP) stickers on pre-GST stock. These new stickers will  display the price under the new tax regime, superseding the price printed on the packaging. Concerns abound over whether these new rules are contrary to Indian metrology laws.

“Ideally, the government should have notified the use of stickers under The Legal Metrology Act, according to Safir Anand, senior partner at law firm Anand and Anand. Under this act, goods with stickers can be confiscated, he added. According to Anand, the challenge with stickers is ensuring authenticity as they can be tampered with.”