The Government on Friday said as many as 77.5 lakh traders are registered on GSTN and help desks have been set up in every commissionerate to facilitate filing of tax return. “Till July 18, 2017, the total number of GSTIN (Goods and Services Taxpayer Identification Number) registration is 77,55,416,” Minister of State for Finance Santosh Kumar Gangwar said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
He further said Internet is not required for doing or conducting business, but it would be required only for the purpose of filing of returns under the GST. “The Government has ensured that the return filling process is made convenient for all taxpayers by setting up help desks in every commissionerate and by appointing GST Suvidha Providers,” he said.
Gangwar in another reply said it is difficult to predict whether corruption will be wiped out, but the implementation of GST will definitely bring about transparency in business operations related to taxation. The implementation of GST in itself is expected to have a positive impact on the overall growth of the economy, he said, adding that it is also expected to have a positive impact on the ease of doing business and making India an even more attractive destination for foreign investments.
Various studies, including that from NCAER, have estimated that growth in GDP to be around 1-2 per cent due to the implementation of GST.Replying to another question, Gangwar said, since GST has been implemented only with effect from July 1, it cannot be stated that it helps to bring out black money at this moment.However, he said, the provision in SGST, CGST, UTGST and IGST have a self policing mechanism.
The government today extended the deadline for small businesses to opt for the composition scheme in the GST regime by nearly four weeks to August 16.
The government today extended the deadline for small businesses to opt for the composition scheme in the GST regime by nearly four weeks to August 16.
Small businesses with turnover of up to Rs 75 lakh earlier had time till today to opt for the scheme in the Goods and Services Tax regime. “The Board hereby extends the period for filing an intimation in Form GST CMP-01… up to August 16, 2017,” the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) said in an office order.
To opt for composition scheme, the taxpayer needs to log into his account at the GST Portal www.gst.gov.in and select ‘Application to opt for the Composition Scheme’ under ‘Services’ menu. They have to fill up the Form GST CMP-01 to opt for the scheme.
Under composition scheme, traders, manufacturers and restaurants can pay tax at 1, 2 and 5 per cent, respectively. Businesses opting for the composition scheme will see a lesser compliance burden as they will have to file returns only once in a quarter as against monthly returns to be filed by other businesses.
There are over 70 lakh excise, VAT and service taxpayers who have migrated to the GSTN portal for filing returns in the GST regime which kicked in from July 1. Besides, there are over 8 lakh new taxpayers who have registered on the portal. These new registered taxpayers can opt for the composition scheme at the time of registration.
In the past week, the government has reached out to tax commissioners on the audit process, highlighting the risk areas.
The Centre has created a detailed road map for goods and services tax (GST) audits barely 20 days after the levy’s rollout, listing risks, target industries and even potential auditees for officials examining corporate India’s transition to the new regime.
In the past week, the government has reached out to tax commissioners on the audit process, highlighting the risk areas. Beginning next week, therefore, officials could visit companies to assess whether the transition from the multiple to the single producer levy from July 1 stuck to the rule book.
Their mode of inspection will also be very different from the traditional script. “They would focus on credit transfer or transition from the old tax regime to GST. The government already has the requisite sets of data in place for this,” a tax official told ET on the condition of anonymity.
The government has shared sector-wise “risk factors” companies might exploit to avoid paying GST. According to the tax official quoted above, categorisation or risk evaluation for these audits has been created by using Big Data analytics.
The government has used statistics of the last two financial years to create the audit checklist.
In the internal government note shared with middle-rung tax officials, they have also been told to cause the “least inconvenience” to auditees and to even educate the taxpayers, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
Industry experts, however, pointed out that a granular scrutiny could mean additional tax-related effort at many companies, as the GST audits would also take earlier taxes into account while evaluating the transition.
‘Extra book-keeping effort’
“The decision to focus on risk-based parameters in determining the audit plan is good. However, since the audits to be undertaken now would focus on earlier legislation such as excise and service tax, taxpayers will grapple with both the earlier legislation and the new legislation (GST) simultaneously,” said MS Mani, partner, GST, Deloitte India. “It would significantly increase the focus and time taken to attend to tax matters.”
A list of auditees, made up of large, medium, and small-scale companies across the country, was also shared with the tax commissioners. “Most of the companies have manipulated the system while transitioning credits from excise and service tax to GST. This is what would be the focus of the tax audits initially,” a senior tax official told ET.
Tax officials have been asked to first examine a specific list of companies. This was disclosed in an official communication by the director general of audit, central taxes, on July 12, with several mid-level tax officials being informed this week.
Big Data analytics are being used by the tax departments since 2016. The tool is deployed to find outliers in any industry, and the gap from industry based average taxes is used to determine targets for further scrutiny.
“The government would have comparables. Say, if 10 consumer goods companies of a particular size pay Rs 50 crore in taxes, it is unlikely that one company, of the same revenue size, would pay Rs 1 crore. Data analytics could easily point out such anomalies, and the lens would then be on such companies,” a person in the know said.
Gujarat is followed by Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
Gujarat has retained the top position in the list of 21 states and UTs with most investment potential, according to a report by economic think-tank NCAER.
Gujarat is followed by Delhi, Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh.
The ranking of 20 states and one Union Territory of Delhi was based on six pillars — labour, infrastructure, economic climate, governance and political stability, perceptions and land — and 51 sub-indicators.
While Gujarat topped in economic climate and perceptions, Delhi ranked one in infrastructure. While Tamil Nadu topped the chart in labour issues, Madhya Pradesh ranked one in land pillar.
The National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) State Investment Potential Index (N-SIPI 2017) report ranks states on their competitiveness in business and their investment climate.
Compared to 2016, Gujarat and Delhi again top the list of states, while Haryana and Telangana have moved rapidly up the ranks to finish among the top five, it said.
NCAER Director-General Shekhar Shah said: “Investment opportunities are expanding in India in all sectors. The GST will weave India’s states together in ways that has not been possible before”.
Further the report said that although Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal are ranked among the least favourable states for investment, they rank higher under individual pillars.
Indira Iyer, the team leader for the 2017 N-SIPI, stated that as per the report, “corruption” continues to be the number one constraint faced by businesses.
However, she said, the 2017 N-SIPI reports a decline in the percentage of respondents citing corruption as a constraint to conducting business from 79 per cent in 2016 to 57 per cent in 2017.
Getting approvals for starting a business is still the second-most pressing constraint faced by businesses in 2017 as was the case in 2016, she added.
Talking about this index, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (DIPP) Secretary Ramesh Abhishek said these reports are aiding states in improving the business climate and attracting investors.
Over two weeks into the goods and services tax (GST) regime, Navin Kumar, chairman of GSTN — the IT backbone of the system — speaks to Sumit Jha on how taxpayers have adopted the new system.
Over two weeks into the goods and services tax (GST) regime, Navin Kumar, chairman of GSTN — the IT backbone of the system — speaks to Sumit Jha on how taxpayers have adopted the new system.
What are the latest numbers on migration and new registrations on GSTN platform?
Till June 16, over 70 lakh have migrated to the portal while 7.4 lakh new taxpayers have registered so far. The number of migration has dwindled from 30,000 daily to about 12,000 since we reopened the window on June 25. However, the rate of new registration is still going as strong as it was on June 25 with nearly 35,000 taxpayers registering every day. Our system will remain open for migration till September 25 (3 months).
What explains the large number of new registrations?
A better analysis of why so many new taxpayers have registered can be provided by the tax department, but we are thinking on the lines that businesses realise that it would be harder to do business if they remain outside GST. According to our study, we were expecting a 4-5% growth in new taxpayers yearly. On an 80-lakh existing taxpayer base, this translates into around 4 lakh new registrations. Since June 25, we have had 7.40 lakh new registrations, which is nearly double our expectations. It shows businesses have welcomed GST.
What has been the response for composition scheme?
Till June 16, only 90,000 businesses had opted for composition scheme. I believe many more would want to but the problem is, if you don’t opt for it now, the next opportunity will arise only next year. Though we had collected information on composition scheme from VAT we can’t say off-hand how the registration under GST so far compares with the the figures in the VAT. One of the possible explanation for a subdued number could be that any inter-state supply made by a business makes it ineligible for the scheme.
Has the GSTN been able to deliver the application programming interfaces (APIs) on time?
There are two kinds of APIs: One is government-to-government meant for connecting the tax department with the GSTN, which is already functional. As far as APIs for GST suvidha providers (GSPs) are concerned, we had a meeting with them in June, where we shared a time schedule for releasing APIs. So far, we have stuck to that schedule.
Is there any pilot testing for uploading invoices being carried by GSTN?
The next big thing happening is we are opening the facility for uploading invoices for a closed group of businesses from June 24. Business-to-business people are required to record transactions at the invoice level for filing return. If you are generating 50,000 invoices every day, don’t wait until the last moment. If you have 5,000 invoices in a month, you can upload weekly but it must be done regularly.
A month ago you had questioned the GSPs’ preparedness. What is the status now?
We have asked all GSPs to be prepared, and they have assured us that they are working towards that. The invoice uploading pilot will tell us where they stand.
What is the expected format of filing interim return in August?
This is to be filed in the GSTR3B form where the taxpayer has to indicate his tax liability and input tax credit. So, it would be on self-declaration basis. When they submit the first full return in September for July, we will match their input tax credit submitted through GSTR3B as a form of cross-verification. The final position will be told to them then.
When is the e-way bill likely to come for approval?
The National Informatics Centre (NIC) is working on the e-way bill, and they are supposed to bring it for consideration by October 1. Currently, the removal of check posts at state borders is due to the nature of GST. Earlier you had tax arbitrage between VAT and CST which is gone now. However, state governments are concerned about movement of goods without paying taxes, which would be resolved once e-way bill is introduced.
Can businesses make amends in their information now?
We started the facility to amend registration data from June 18. Many people are coming and saying they need to change some data, including bank account number or phone number. Registration of non-residents and casual taxpayers will also open on June 18. This is for the people who come over in the country for a fair or exhibition for a few days or a month.
Businesses can start uploading their sale and purchase invoices generated post-July 1 on the GSTN portal from July 24, a top company official said today.
The Goods and Services Tax has kicked in from July 1 and so far, the GST Network, the company handling the IT backbone for the new tax regime, has been facilitating registration of businesses.
“We plan to launch the invoice upload utility on the portal on July 24 so that businesses can come forward and start uploading the invoices on a daily or weekly basis to avoid a month-end rush,” GSTN Chairman Navin Kumar told PTI.
Generating invoices for dealings above Rs. 200 and keeping invoice records in serial number even if maintained manually, are pre-requisites for claiming input tax credit under the GST regime.
The GSTN had last month launched an offline Excel format for businesses to keep their invoice records and from July 24 this Excel sheet can be uploaded on the portal.
Kumar said GSTN would put up a video on its portal to assist businesses in uploading invoices.
Besides, a call centre help desk has been set up to assist taxpayers regarding any query they might have about the new tax regime.
“We have been reaching out to trade and industry associations telling them that those who have about 10,000 invoices a day, they should upload it on GSTN portal on a daily/ weekly basis to avoid last moment rush,” Kumar said.
So far, over 69 lakh excise, VAT and Service Tax assessees have migrated to the GSTN portal and nearly five lakh new registrations have happened under GST.
Under GST, which is a single tax in place of multiple central and state levies such as excise, service tax and VAT, businesses are required to upload on GSTN portal invoices of their trade every month.
Kumar had earlier said the offline Excel tool can upload 19,000 invoices data on the GSTN portal at one go and the process takes just half-a-minute.
So, if businesses which generate about 10,000 invoices a day upload the data on a daily or weekly basis, it would be less cumbersome for them.
While uploading invoices on the GSTN portal, a business would need to mention the invoice number and date, customer name, shipping and billing address, customer and taxpayer’s GSTIN, place of supply and HSN code.
Also, the taxable value and discounts and rates of CGST, SGST and IGST would have to be filled, along with item wise details including description, quantity and price.
The data analytics and processing coupled with intelligence inputs would inter-alia provide CBEC national and sub-national perspective for policy formulation
The government has set up a new wing under the indirect taxes body to provide intelligence inputs and carry out big data analytics for taxmen for better policy formulation and nabbing evaders.
The Directorate General of Analytics and Risk Management (DGARM) will be under the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), mainly to use internal and external sources for detailed data mining to generate actionable inputs, the revenue department said in an office memorandum. The DGARM, set up on July 1, coinciding with the roll-out of the GST regime, has four verticals headed by an official of rank of additional director general or principal ADG. It will function as an apex body of CBEC for data analytics and risk management, and report to the CBEC chairman.
Incidentally, the CBEC is to be renamed as the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) after excise duty along with service tax and a dozen other central and state levies were subsumed into GST.
“The data analytics and processing coupled with intelligence inputs would inter-alia provide CBEC national and sub-national perspective for policy formulation. The field formations of CBEC are expected to gainfully and effectively utilise the data and other inputs shared by the DGARM,” the memorandum said.
As part of the DGARM, a National Targeting Centre has been set up, which is responsible for application of a nationally coordinated approach to risk analysis and targeting of risky goods and passengers crossing the borders of the country. “It shall provide 24×7 operational risk interdiction supports to field formations of the CBIC,” it said.
The centre in question will institutionalise coordination with other government departments and other stakeholders for sharing databases, information, intelligence and reports to build risk profile of entities. A Centre for Business Intelligence and Analytics has also been set up and will be responsible for identification of information requirements of the CBEC. It will utilise data feeds from internal sources.
It shall be responsible for providing analytical inputs to support identification, targeting and risk management functions of the National Targeting Centre, the Risk Management Centre for Goods and Services Tax, and the Risk Management Centre for Customs.
The third vertical of the DGARM is the Risk Management Centre for Goods and Services Tax, which will institutionalise mechanism to collect necessary inputs, adopt coordinated approach and share the outcome for risk-based identification for the purpose of scrutiny, audit and enforcement functions.
Besides, the Risk Management Centre for Customs will be responsible for assessment and targeting of risky cargo crossing the borders through sea, air and land. The DGARM will do detailed data mining and analysis to generate outputs for focused and targeted action by field formations and investigation wings of the CBEC.
The Government on Friday said as many as 77.5 lakh traders are registered on GSTN and help desks have been set up in every commissionerate to facilitate filing of tax return. “Till July 18, 2017, the total number of GSTIN (Goods and Services Taxpayer Identification Number) registration is 77,55,416,” Minister of State for Finance Santosh Kumar Gangwar said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.
The government has shared sector-wise “risk factors” companies might exploit to avoid paying GST. According to the tax official quoted above, categorisation or risk evaluation for these audits has been created by using Big Data analytics.
