GoM headed by Sushil Modi to look into GSTN portal hiccups

The meeting will monitor and resolve the IT challenges faced in the GST implementation

Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi will head a five-member grouping of state ministers to look into technical challenges being faced by the GST registration and tax filing portal.

The GST Council, the highest decision-making body of the new Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime, had on Saturday decided to form a five-member panel to look into the technical glitches facing GST-Network (GSTN).

The GSTN, the information technology (IT) backbone and portal for real-time taxpayer registration, migration, and tax return filing under the GST, had faced downtime when the first deadline for filing of returns approached, forcing the government to extend the last date.

The Group of Ministers (GoM) headed by Modi will "monitor and resolve the IT challenges faced in the implementation of GST," an official statement said.

Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac is also a member of the group.

The other members are Amar Agarwal, Minister for Commercial Taxes, Chhattisgarh; Krishna Byregowda, Minister for Agriculture, Karnataka; and Etela Rajendar, Finance Minister, Telangana.

"The GoM will be assisted in its work by the Chairman, Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) and the Chief Executive Officer, GSTN," it said.

Also, a Committee on Exports has been constituted under Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia to look at the issues of the export sector and to recommend to the GST Council suitable strategy for helping the export sector in the post-GST scenario.

This Committee consists of the Chairperson, CBEC; Member (Customs), CBEC; Director General, DGFT; Additional Secretary, GST Council; Director General, DG Export Promotion from the Central Government and Commissioners of Commercial Taxes from the States of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.