Consider the following statements regarding GST Council:
1. A simple majority of the members present and voting shall take every decision of the Council.
2. The vote of the Central Government and state government shall weigh one-third of the total votes cast each.
The correct statement/s is/are:
Last updated Jun 24, 2026
Correct Answer:
Option D —
Neither 1 nor 2
The GST Council is a constitutional body (Article 279A) responsible for making recommendations on issues related to the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax in India. Both statements provided are technically incorrect based on the specific voting math defined in the Constitution.
Detailed Analysis of the Statements Statement 1: A simple majority of the members present and voting shall take every decision of the Council.
Status: Incorrect.
Explanation: Decisions of the GST Council are not taken by a simple majority ($50\% + 1$). Instead, they require a weighted majority of three-fourths ($75\%$) of the weighted votes of the members present and voting. Statement 2: The vote of the Central Government and state government shall weigh one-third of the total votes cast each. Status: Incorrect. Explanation: The voting power is split differently between the Centre and the States: The Central Government has a weightage of one-third ($1/3$) of the total votes cast. All State Governments combined have a weightage of two-thirds ($2/3$) of the total votes cast. Since the Centre holds $33.33\%$ and the States hold $66.66\%$, neither can pass a resolution alone, as $75\%$ is required for a decision. This effectively gives the Centre a "veto" power.
Answer verified by Quintessence Classes faculty — Karan Nagar, Srinagar.
