Businessmen, industrialists, and tax consultants of the city of Indore recently met with the Commissioner of Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Parth Roychoudhary to discuss suggestions on how to improve the GST regime. As per news reports, various concerns were raised, and suggestions were made to address them, during the meeting.
One of the main issues discussed was the cancellation of GST registration. The attendees urged the CGST Commissioner not to cancel the registration from backdates but to make it effective from the date of cancellation of the GST registration. This would ensure that businesses are not penalized for a period in which they were not registered.
Tarun Vyas, secretary of the Association of Industries of Madhya Pradesh and member of the Regional GST Grievance Redressed Committee, represented the industries and presented several suggestions to improve the GST regime. Vyas also suggested that the appeal process for taxpayers should be approved on deposit of 20% of the amount due in the appeal case until the GST Tribunal takes shape. He cited a decision by the Maharashtra High Court in this regard and urged the CGST Commissioner to apply it in Indore as well.
Another suggestion was to give the power of verification of new registrations to local-level officers. CGST Commissioner Roychoudhary agreed that this could be done soon, which would make the process more efficient.
The attendees also suggested that once the State GST has issued a notice in any case, the CGST should not give notice in the same case if the taxpayer submits a reply. This would prevent duplication of efforts and save time and resources for both the taxpayer and the government.
In addition to the suggestions made, it is essential to note that GST has been a significant reform in the Indian taxation system since its implementation in 2017. It has replaced a plethora of indirect taxes levied by the state and central governments and aims to simplify the tax structure, eliminate tax cascading, and increase compliance.
However, the implementation of GST has not been without its challenges. One of the significant issues faced by taxpayers is the frequent changes in GST rules and regulations. This has resulted in confusion and increased compliance costs for businesses.
Another challenge has been the frequent technical glitches in the GST portal, which have affected the filing of returns and caused delays in refunds. The government has been working to address these issues and has made some progress, but more needs to be done to ensure that the GST regime operates smoothly.
We can say that the meeting between the businessmen, industrialists, and tax consultants of Indore and the CGST Commissioner is a positive step towards improving the GST regime. The suggestions made by the attendees should be considered seriously, and efforts should be made to address the challenges faced by taxpayers. The government should also ensure that the GST portal is robust and user-friendly to make compliance easier for businesses. By doing so, India’s GST regime can become a model for other countries to follow.