The Group of Ministers (GoM) formed to examine the GST issues in casino, online gaming, and racecourses is unanimous on hiking the GST rate on these services to 28 per cent, West Bengal finance minister Chandrima Bhattacharya who is the member of GoM was quoted saying by Business Standard.

Now a call on whe­ther the tax should be levied on gross or net valuation wo­uld be taken at the next meeting after further deliberations at the officer level.

The GoM will decide on the method of valuing the services. At present, services of casino, horse racing and online gaming attract 18 per cent GST.

The government had in May last year set up a panel of state ministers for better valuation of services of casinos, online gaming portals and race courses for levying GST. 

After a series of exits, the GoM was reconstituted recently. The current GoM, headed by Meghalaya chief minister Conrad Sangma, met on Monday and discussed the applicable GST rate on these three services.

"The officer's committee will deliberate further and give report within 10 days on whether tax would be levied on gross or net value, after which the GoM will meet again and take a call," Bhattarcharya was quoted.

She said the decision of the GoM would take into account businesses involved in these services, society and other stakeholders. The report of the GoM is likely to be taken up in the next meeting of the GST Council expected later this month.