GST Cut on Cement: Will Homebuyers Really Benefit, or Will Developers Pocket the Gains?
The GST Council’s decision to cut cement tax rates to 18% is expected to reduce construction costs by 3–5%. But will this relief ever reach homebuyers? Drawing from two decades of reporting on real estate, Varun Singh argues that past experience shows developers rarely pass on such benefits. From premium reductions to infrastructure boosts like the Coastal Road, home prices have only risen. Unless homebuyers collectively demand accountability, this GST relief too may remain only in builders’ profit books.