Zomato Responds After Customer Complains About Being Charged Double Tax on MRP Product

In recent years, meal delivery services like Uber Eats, Swiggy, and Zomato have significantly transformed the way people eat. With a simple swipe on the screen, they offer unprecedented ease in addition to the comfort of having our food delivered straight to our door. Though this convenience did have some drawbacks. The extra fees that increase the price of our items are, without a doubt, one of the most inconvenient problems.

In addition to the item’s price, the average food delivery bill now includes GST, restaurant fees, platform fees, surge fees, delivery partner costs (usually dependent on distance), and charitable donations like “Feeding India.” But lately, a customer revealed that Zomato has been levying double GST charges on the MRP of products. Now, Zomato has responded to the allegations.

Twitter

The customer alleges Zomato levies double GST charges

Vinay Borkar, an X user, recently revealed something very fishy about the Zomato bill method. On July 2, 2025. Borkar claims that he tried to purchase a Family Pack of Ice Cream that had an MRP (Maximum Retail Price) that already included all relevant taxes. But when he checked out, he saw that Zomato had added 18% GST (Goods and Services Tax), which he believed to be “double taxation.”

The tweet, which had a screenshot of the bill summary, showed that GST was levied on the item amount, on charges of packaging, and on the platform charge. Borkar said that charging GST on a pre-tax MRP product is deceitful and unfair to customers.

In his tweet, he wrote,

@zomato is charging GST On MRP Item. MRP item itself contains all taxes. Trying to Oder the Family Pack Ice cream which is packed MRP Box. But @zomato is charging 18% extra GST which will be double Tax.

@zomato is charging GST On MRP Item. MRP item itself contains all taxes. Trying to Oder the Family Pack Ice cream which is packed MRP Box. But @zomato is charging 18% extra GST which will be double Tax. pic.twitter.com/Xkkx3fdwfi

— Vinay Borkar (@BorkarVinay) July 2, 2025

How did Zomato respond to Vinay Borkar’s tweet?

Soon, Zomato responds to Vinay Borkar’s tweet, saying that they just serve as a platform for middlemen. They also made it clear that it has no direct control over the taxes or prices that its partner suppliers impose. In their reply, Zomato wrote,

Hi Vinay, we’d like to clarify that Zomato as a platform only provides you with a menu with the prices informed by restaurant partners & enables you to place a price-informed order. That said, we have noted the restaurant details, and we’ll be sharing your feedback with the restaurant partner, and request them to look into it.

Hi Vinay, we’d like to clarify that Zomato as a platform only provides you with a menu with the prices informed by restaurant partners & enables you to place a price-informed order. That said, we have noted the restaurant details, and we’ll be sharing your feedback with the…

— Zomato Care (@zomatocare) July 2, 2025

This incident highlights the recurring problem within the Indian food ordering online ecosystem, that is, the ambiguity regarding taxation, particularly when it comes to MRP products. Technically, goods sold at the label price or MRP should not have any extra taxes added, as the MRP is designed to be a final price inclusive of all the costs. Yet, in the online market, numerous loopholes and gray areas still prevail, tending to shortchange consumers.

Additionally, platform charges and packaging fees contribute to billing opacity. Similar to this, a user recently voiced dissatisfaction about the order bill’s round-off amount. He said that by just rounding off the cost, Zomato made millions of dollars in secret. In response, Zomato stated that the round-off functionality is entirely optional and functions to simplify invoicing by eliminating odd decimal places.

Although Zomato and Swiggy claim they are merely facilitating transactions between consumers and restaurants, inconsistency or exaggeration in charges often crosses their lines.

What do you think about this problem? Do share your thoughts with us in the comment section of this article.