School Supplies to Get Cheaper: GST Council Proposes Nil GST on Pencils, Notebooks & More
Back-to-school shopping gets cheaper as the GST Council proposes nil GST on pencils, notebooks, erasers and maps.
school supplies - Taxscan
school supplies - Taxscan
Buying pencils, notebooks, or erasers for the new school year may soon become much cheaper. The 56th meeting of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, held at Sushma Swaraj Bhavan in New Delhi on September 03, 2025, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, has proposed a complete GST exemption on essential school supplies including pencils, erasers, notebooks, and maps.
For parents and students, this could mean lower back-to-school expenses. At present, many of these items attract GST between 12% and 18%, often pushing up stationery bills for families. By removing the tax entirely, the Council aims to make basic learning tools more affordable and accessible.
The move is expected to provide direct financial relief to millions of households. Families with multiple school-going children will especially benefit, as notebooks, pencils, and erasers are recurring purchases. Education advocates have also welcomed the decision, calling it a step towards reducing inequality in access to learning materials.
Manufacturers and retailers of stationery are likely to see greater demand, as lower costs could encourage bulk buying during the school season. On the flip side, businesses will need to adjust pricing systems and stock labels once the exemption is officially notified.
The exemption comes alongside broader reforms: the GST Council has already cut rates on several everyday essentials, medicines, and healthcare items, while imposing higher taxes on luxury goods and sin products. Together, these changes are part of the Council’s effort to balance relief for the common man with higher levies on non-essential sectors.
The new GST rates across goods and services will take effect from September 22, 2025. For school supplies, the timeline will depend on how quickly the Centre issues a notification, but parents can expect cheaper stationery before the end of this academic term.
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