Pass GST cut benefits to consumers or face action: Sushil Modi to traders

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi on Tuesday said stern action would be taken against manufacturers and dealers not giving benefits of the reduced GST rates on around 175 items to the end users.

Sushil Modi said he has directed the state government officials to carry out a "market survey" about the rates/prices of various products especially those on which GST has been reduced at 23rd meeting of GST council held at Guwahati last week.

Officials would check the prices of products before and after reduction in GST rates, he told reporters.

The GST council at its Guwahati meeting on November 10 had reduced tax rate to 18 per cent from current 28 per cent slab on around 175 daily use items.

Sushil Modi, who was accompanied by party leader Rajiv Ranjan, was talking to reporters at his official residence 1, Polo road here on the sidelines of weekly Janata Darbar.

Sushil Modi, who attended the crucial GST council meet, said that the Bihar government- like many other state governments- has constituted 'state level screening committee' where aggrieved persons can lodge their complaints if they find they are charged more than prescribed tax rate or do not get the benefit of slashed tax.

The screening committee would conduct preliminary inquiry into consumers' complaints and send its reports to the Anti-Profiteering Committee which would take action against such erring dealers and manufacturers, he said.

The details of the screening committee is available on the Commercial taxes department's website.

There have been allegations that composite dealers are charging tax besides big companies are also not passing on the benefits of tax reduction to the consumers, he said while making it clear that dealers including restaurant owners under composition scheme with a turnover of Rs 1 crore can not charge tax.

Sushil Modi, who also holds finance and commercial taxes departments, made a fervent appeal to the consumers to give complaints in writing against such erring dealers and manufacturers and assured consumers of action against them.

Stating that Bihar has been playing a major role in the effective and efficient implementation of new indirect tax regime, Sushil Modi said that efforts are being made to simplify the process of return filing, invoice matching, HSN Code etc.

A simplified form for filing return is being prepared by Bihar, the Finance Minister said adding he has also asked the members of Bihar Industries Association and Bihar Chamber of Commerce and Industries to prepare simplied form in this regard.

There are 2.23 lakh registered dealers under GST in the state of which 32864 come under composite scheme, he said.

The states are going to be benefitted with the new indirect tax regime as the Centre has assured that it would give at least 14 per cent of revenue to the states every year on the basis of 2015-16, Sushil Modi said adding Bihar will have a secured revenue of Rs 16,402 crore in the year 2017-18.

This means that the Centre will compensate the Bihar government if revenue collections from GST do not crosses Rs 16,402 crore. But, if it crosses the Rs 16,402 crore in 2017-18 then the Centre will not compensate the state government, he said.