Advance Ruling- Applicability of GST- Input Tax Credit- The applicant is engaged in the manufacturing of high chrome grinding media balls and parts of machinery for grinding and crushing. The applicant has employed more than 250 employees and is also registered under the Factories Act, 1948.

The applicant has filed this application for advance ruling to ascertain the GST implication on the existing arrangement of canteen facility being provided to the employees at the factory by raising the following question for advance ruling viz,-

(i) Whether GST is applicable on the amount representing the employee's portion of canteen charges recovered/collected by the applicant from its employees and paid to the canteen service provider on behalf of the employee.

(ii) Whether the Company is eligible to take the input tax credit for the GST charged by the canteen service provider for the canteen services for its employees where the canteen facility is mandatory in terms of section 46 of the Factories Act. 1948.

Authority for Advance Ruling, Gujarat held that :-

1. GST is not leviable on the amount representing the employee's portion of canteen charges recovered/collected by the applicant from its employees and paid to the canteen service provider on behalf of the employee since it would not be considered as a supply under the provisions of section 7 of the CGST Act, 2017 and the GGST Act, 2017.

2. Input Tax Credit (ITC) will be available to the applicant on GST charged by the service provider in respect of canteen facility provided to its direct employees working in their factory, in view of the provisions of Section 17(5)(b) as amended effective from 1.2.2019 and clarification issued by CBIC vide circular No. 172/04/2022-GST dated 6.7.2022 read with provisions of section 46 of the Factories Act, 1948 and read with provisions of Gujarat Factory Rules, 1963. ITC on the above is restricted to the extent of the cost borne by the applicant for providing canteen services to its direct employees, but disallowing proportionate credit to the extent embedded in the cost of goods recovered from such employees.