New reforms of GST Council: Increase in tax on IPL tickets
Following the new tax reforms, the GST Council has put Indian Premier League (IPL) tickets in the topmost tax bracket, increasing the duty from 28% to 40%. These are now classified along with luxury items and sin goods like casinos.
This change is part of the new GST 2.0 framework, which reflects the government’s intention to treat high-end sports entertainment as discretionary spending. As a result, even modest tickets will cost a lot.
As per the new pricing:
The ₹2500 ticket which used to cost ₹640 with taxes earlier, will now cost ₹700, an increase of ₹60.
A ₹1,000 ticket has now increased from ₹1,280 to ₹1,400.
The high-end ₹2,000 ticket has increased from ₹2,560 to ₹2,800.
In contrast, those buying movie tickets costing less than ₹100 will now have to pay just 5% GST, down from 12%. This shows that the government is selectively promoting less expensive cultural events and cutting down on premium sporting events.
With 18% GST applicable on domestic cricket and international matches, grassroots sports will remain accessible. But when it comes to the IPL, fans may now think twice before making bookings.
Radhika Goyal is Author of Taxconcept Gurugram head office, for deeply reported tax, gst and income tax articles on issues that matter. He splits her time between New Delhi and Bengaluru, and has worked as a reporter, a podcaster and an editor for publications across India.