GST(Goods & Service Tax)


It was the 1st of July, 2017 when the smoke of ambiguity surrounded the Indian economy. The Government of India introduced GST in India which raised multiple question as regards the applicability, implementation and administration. Since then GST has come a long way. GST had led to the formalization of the economy, enhanced ease of doing business and benefited the MSME sector. In April, it was reported that one crore new income tax returns had been filed and the tax base has increased tremendously. The government allotted GSTIN to the registered entities/ persons using for whom they have to file the returns.The Government has categorized goods in 5 tax slabs, i.e., 0%, 5%, 12%, 28% according to HSN (Harmonized System of Nomenclature) Codes. Now these rates are being reduced with the increasing tax base. With the help of technology GST has led to elimination of ‘Inspector Raj’. The introduction of E-way bills helped in easy movement of goods with less documentation with higher level of transparency which was not present in the earlier tax system. But like every coin has two sides, GST has its own pitfalls. The cost for implementation of new software for the same was high. The administration of GST is still not proper as the officials administering the same are not well aware of all the provisions. Hence there are still doubts regarding the return filing and classifying of goods and services. Apart from these certain infrastructural and administration issues, we can say GST has come a long way.

Thank You
Regards
Author - Preeti Iyer
Kautilya
IBS Mumbai

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