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August 2026ยทNote 6 of 25
Governance & PolityNewspaper EditorialPublished: 2026-08-10

GST Council Deliberations on Insurance GST Rationalization & 16th FC Terms

Source: Business Standard / GST Council Secretariat

GST CouncilArticle 279AHealth Insurance GST16th Finance Commission

The GST Council's Group of Ministers (GoM) advanced proposals to exempt or reduce GST on individual health and term life insurance premiums from the current 18% slab, citing the national imperative for universal social risk protection.

  • GST Council is a constitutional body under Article 279A, chaired by the Union Finance Minister.
  • Voting mechanics: Central Government holds 1/3rd (33.33%) voting weight; all State Governments together hold 2/3rds (66.67%) weight. Every decision requires a 3/4th (75%) weighted majority.
  • 16th Finance Commission headed by Dr. Arvind Panagariya conducts state consultations on the horizontal devolution formula (tax effort, demographic performance, forest cover, and income distance).

Practice Quiz for this Note

2 UPSC-pattern questions on this topic

Marking: +2.5 / โˆ’0.83
Question 1 of 2(0 answered, 2 remaining)
Question 1+2.5 / -0.83 Marks

In the GST Council established under Article 279A of the Constitution, what is the voting weight assigned to the Union Government and the required majority for passing any decision?

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