The sales tax you pay while purchasing a toothpaste is a
A
tax imposed by the Central Government
B
tax imposed by the Central Government but collected by the State Government
C
tax imposed by the State Government but collected by the Central Government
D
tax imposed and collected by the State Government
Correct Answer
Explanation
Option (D) is correct because, in the pre-GST era, sales tax on intra-state transactions (like buying toothpaste at a shop) was governed by Entry 54 of the State List, giving State Governments the authority to both levy and collect the tax. Option (B) is a common distractor as it describes the mechanism for Central Sales Tax (inter-state trade) or specific duties under Article 268, which do not apply to local retail purchases. The core concept tested is the constitutional distribution of taxing powers between the Union and the States under the Seventh Schedule of the Indian Constitution.
Public FinanceIndirect Taxation SystemSales TaxState GovernmentIndirect TaxGSTFiscal FederalismPublic Finance