Steps being taken for simplification of GST: Sitharaman assures traders

New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said that steps are being taken for simplification of GST and revenue secretary was brainstorming with officers from different parts of the country over ways to simplify the Goods and Services Tax.

“Whatever issues are there with GST and wherever there is a requirement of simplification, under the chairmanship of Revenue Secretary, a program is underway today where officers from across the country are exploring the ways and means to simplify GST. Revenue Secretary himself is there at the event”, Sitharaman said while addressing traders.

She was addressing the National Traders Convention of Confederation Of All India Traders, CAIT in New Delhi.

Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey on Tuesday chaired the day-long brainstorming session with commissioners of state and central taxes to discuss how the Goods and Service Tax (GST) system can be streamlined for faster refunds, enhanced compliance and discourage tax evaders.

Officials debated on ways to curb fraud and evasion, check fake or huge input tax credit claims and seek bank account details of businesses to tally with their filings. They discussed methods to curb misuse of refunds and share the best practices in revenue augmentation.

The discussions focussed on a road ahead for e-invoicing, new return system and feedback, e-way bill linking with Fastag, pendency of refunds, linkage of Aadhaar to GST registration, enforcement module use without overreach and QR codes.

This was the second all-India conference where both tax administrations came together formally to build synergy and to share their knowledge with the intent to bring about uniformity in tax administrations.

The meet deliberated on a mechanism and machinery for disseminating inter-departmental data among various agencies.

It was attended by senior officers of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, the Central Board of Direct Taxes, the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU), the Directorate General of Analytics and Risk Management (DGARM), GSTN officials and field officers from enforcement wings. (ANI)