GST 2.0: Why the Intermediary Services Reform Is a Game Changer for India’s Service Exports

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Published on:

December 26, 2025

Alankar Mishra

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GST 2.0: Why the Intermediary Services Reform Is a Game Changer for India’s Service Exports

GST 2.0 does not represent only a further step towards rationalising rates; it represents a significant change in how India views its taxation system, compliance requirements, and international competitiveness. This intent is clearly to eliminate past difficulties and to simplify complex provisions while aligning the taxation system within India with the realities of trade worldwide. A significant reform approved by the GST Council in its 56th Meeting is a key change regarding the way intermediaries provide their services within India.

The Problem with the Earlier Intermediary Services Rule

Because of the current GST regime, intermediary services are taxable in India (as opposed to the country where the intermediary is located) and are treated as having a location of supply in India even if provided to overseas customers. This means that an additional cost is added to intermediate service providers; therefore, Indian service providers are subject to taxation by the Indian government when they receive foreign currency for their services.

As a result, businesses are experiencing significant difficulties related to the GST regime. Companies are unable to claim export benefits. As a result, companies are unable to get GST refunds, and working capital is tied up. Companies have been faced with unnecessary litigation and confusion regarding the classification of their services. In addition, many companies have been forced to pay taxes on revenues that other countries would consider to be an export, which places these companies at a competitive disadvantage to international competitors in their respective industries.

What Has Changed Under GST 2.0

In alignment with the Customer Location Principle, the proposed amendments to the GST Act provide for the place of supply of certain services (intermediaries) to be determined based on the location of the customer. Thus, this will allow for Intermediary Services to be included under the export of services umbrella, assuming all other export conditions are also satisfied.

With the amendment to the legislation, this long-awaited change has corrected a fundamental deficiency in the GST Act and also aligned it with the International principles of Goods and Services Tax (GST) or Value Added Tax (VAT), which follow Consumption Taxation as the standard.

Why This Reform Matters

This one change will have a huge impact.

It lessens the likelihood of litigation and interpretation problems that have plagued intermediary service providers for several years. The clarity provided through export classification allows businesses to operate with certainty as to their operations without worrying about retroactive claims or lengthy disputes.

SaaS companies, IT service providers, BPO/KPO providers, cross-border startups, and Global Capability Centres (GCCs) will benefit from this reform because now they can operate with a level of certainty in a very volatile and competitive industry. These types of businesses operate on such thin margins and scale their businesses through global contracts. Tax uncertainty can impede their ability to compete globally.

Services that provide marketing support, operate back offices, provide other professional services, and support foreign customers will see direct benefit from this legislation. Since the GST is no longer a cost to Indian service providers, they can now price their offerings more competitively in the international marketplace.

Most importantly, with the new legislation, intermediary services that meet the criteria for export will be zero-rated. This means intermediaries can receive refunds for the accumulated input tax credit on the costs associated with the intermediary's operation. This will enhance cash flow, increase working capital, and eliminate arbitrary tax drip costs that have no economic basis.

Strengthening India’s Global Position

Global investors and foreign multinationals now have clear and certain evidence of India's commitment to becoming not only an affordable location for outsourcing, but also one that provides a stable taxation environment, through a model of tax certainty and alignment with global manufacturing policy.

In light of increasing competition among nations to attract IT, software as a service (SaaS), and services operations in general, indirect taxation is emerging as the main factor behind investment decisions. Through its release of GST 2.0, the Government of India enhances its reputation as an approved global services power.

More Than a Technical Amendment

On the one hand, the amendment is technical in nature. On the other hand, it has Strategic Consequences; that is, it increases Service Exportation, It Enhances Capital Efficiency, It Minimises Compliance Issues, and It Aligns the Indian GST Framework to Global Best Practice.

As such, the overall purpose of GST 2.0 is to provide a next-generation approach to Taxation. GST 2.0 is a more Simplified, More Equitable and Growth-Oriented Tax. It tackles the US economy's Structural Pain Points, rather than simply adjusting the rates.

In addition, this Intermediary Services Reform fully reflects the nature of GST 2.0: It is a policy that acknowledges the needs of businesses and enhances Global Economic Development, rather than merely imposing taxes.

Conclusion

The introduction of GST 2.0 represents a major leap from confusion and complexity to comprehensibility and clarity. The introduction of a correct mechanism for taxing intermediary services has removed a long-standing impediment to service exportation. In addition, the implementation of the new intermediary service tax will improve cash flow, reduce disputes and better align India’s GST framework with international standards. Consequently, India is better positioned to compete in the international markets for IT, SaaS and other professional services. GST will now be truly simple, fair and focused on growing the economy.

FAQs

1. What is GST 2.0?

GST 2.0 is the next round of changes aimed at making the compliance process easier (i.e. less complex), addressing the problems with the structure of GST, reducing disputes in the courts (i.e. litigation) and making India even more attractive for global businesses to do business with India.

2. What change has been made to intermediary services under GST 2.0?

The location of intermediary services is based on where the customer receiving the service is located. Previously, intermediary services were taxed in India when they were provided to customers located outside India.

3. Why was the earlier intermediary services rule problematic?

As a result, exporters were unable to receive export benefits for these services, and this increased the litigation and compliance burdens on such intermediaries.

4. Will intermediary services now qualify as export of services?

Yes, so long as all of the other conditions for export under GST are met, Intermediary services should qualify for export under GST.

5. Will this change make intermediary services zero-rated?

Yes, if Intermediary services qualify as exports under GST, they will be treated as zero-rated, allowing suppliers of these intermediary services to claim back input tax credits through the refund process.