New Delhi, Sept. 4 -- Large screens may draw eyeballs away from their pocket-sized rivals this festive season-all thanks to a timely goods and services tax (GST) break.

The GST Council on Wednesday, as part of the indirect tax overhaul, cut the levy on televisions of 32 inches and above by 10 percentage points to 18% while leaving smartphones-India's largest electronics segment-in the same slab, ignoring the industry's plea for the lowest tax rate of 5%.

Nonetheless, industry stakeholders expect a boost to the entire electronics and appliances market during the country's eagerly awaited annual sales season.

Manish Sharma, India chairman of Japan-headquartered Panasonic Life Solutions, said the GST reform is good for the brand as "produ...