The GST Council (Goods and Service Tax) recently announced a bewildering array of extra tax rates for popcorn, sparking an understandable backlash among economists, businesses, and consumers alike. Salted and spiced popcorn is taxed at 5 per cent if loose, 12 per cent if prepackaged and labelled, and 18 per cent if caramelized. While intended for clarity, this new classification has done more harm than good, causing confusion, adding up needless compliance costs, and leaving consumers bearing the brunt of the damage in the form of higher prices and fewer choices.

The GST system was introduced with the promise of a “Good and Simple Tax.” Yet decisions like this demonstrate how far it has deviated from that vision. Former Chief Economic Adviser K.V. Subramanian aptly summarized the situation: “Complexity is a bureaucrat’s delight and citizens’ nightmare.” The popcorn tax serves as a perfect example of this. A simple grocery store or movie theatre purchase now comes with a dilemma. Is the popcorn pre-packaged? Is it salted or caramel? Each of these questions determines the tax rate and, ultimately, what consumers pay at the counter. These convoluted........

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