GST Day celebrated to mark implementation of GST.

IEP CHANDIGARH JULY 03, 2022

India celebrates July 1 as the GST Day to mark the implementation of GST. This year India also completed 5 years of the major tax reform in the country that has furthered ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and fulfilled the vision of ‘One Nation, One Tax’.

Sh. Vijay Namdeorao Zade, IAS, Finance Secretary UT Chandigarh confirmed that as per the GST figures recently released by the Ministry of Finance, Government of India, UT Chandigarh has in the FY 2022-23 achieved a consistent monthly increase of over 20% and in June 2022 achieved a phenomenal 41% increase as: 

The, Finance Secretary UT Chandigarh attribute this increased collections to the economic recovery in the country, the collection and scrutiny of the tax information and the drive of anti-evasion activities, especially action against fake billers taken up by the Department of Excise and Taxation, UT Chandigarh.

It may be noted that if the tax authorities have reasons to believe that the taxpayer has evaded tax, wrongly claimed inputs, suppressed his income or violated any of the provisions of the GST Act to evade tax, then the Department starts enforcement proceedings such as calling for information, issue of notice, issue of summons, recording statements, search and seizure of goods, etc. The enforcement activities can be broadly classified as inspection, search, seizure, and arrest.

Sh. Zade, confirmed that the Department has over the months convened various meeting with the business associations to educate them on the GST compliance issues (like issuance of invoices etc). The Department has been regularly holdingtaxpayer sensitizations events wherein they brief the taxpayers on the GST regime including the penal provisions for evasions which can be invoked by the department. A GST complaint WhatsApp number (7973855325) has been launched by the department where the customers can lodge complaints regarding non issuance of invoice. This GST complaint number has been widely publicized by WhatsApp, meetings and newspapers. The Campaign “Apna Bill Lena Na Bhule” has been restarted and widely publicized by radio jingles, display boards at public places and commercial ads in Cinema halls

He informed that the department officials have been regularly visiting the markets in Chandigarh to check evasion and ensure that every tax payer display the GST registration certificate prominently at their place of business and the Goods and Services Tax Identification Number on the name board exhibited at the entry of his principal place of business and at every additional place or places of business. The department has adopted a zero tolerance policy whereby any non-display of statutory information invites fines of upto RS 25000. 

The Finance Secretary called upon the business community to adopt GST compliance procedures and invited the public to play they part in the development of the nation by insisting on the invoice for every purchase.