Goods and Services Tax is a broad-based consumption tax, similar in mechanics to VAT, used in countries such as Australia, India, Singapore, Canada, and New Zealand.
Goods and Services Tax (GST) is essentially the non-European label for a value-added consumption tax. It is multi-stage, allows input-tax credit, and falls economically on the end consumer. Singapore charges 9% (raised from 8% in 2024), Australia 10%, New Zealand 15%, and Canada uses a 5% federal GST plus provincial sales taxes or harmonised HST.
India runs a dual GST with a Central GST (CGST), a State GST (SGST), and an Integrated GST (IGST) for inter-state and import flows.
Like VAT, GST registration is triggered by turnover thresholds (SGD 1m in Singapore, AUD 75k in Australia, INR 20-40 lakh in India) and by certain cross-border activities. Returns are typically monthly or quarterly, with annual reconciliations in jurisdictions like India (GSTR-9). Reverse-charge applies to imported services and certain B2B flows so that the recipient self-accounts for the tax.
GST registration changes invoicing, pricing, and cash-flow dynamics. In Singapore, voluntary registration is common for B2B exporters who want to recover input tax even though their sales are zero-rated. In India, GSTIN is part of the operating reality of every B2B transaction.
You will run into GST when expanding into the Asia-Pacific region, when crossing local registration thresholds, when importing services that trigger reverse-charge, and when invoicing local customers who require a tax-compliant document with a GSTIN or ABN to claim their own input credit.
See what a company actually costs in year one, and how the jurisdictions compare on tax, capital and timeline.
