States to reach out to traders, industry to list out GST grievances

Tax officers in states and union territories will reach out to trade and industry bodies, MSMEs, to understand their issues and grievances relating to GST and would place them before the Council on August 4.

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) had earlier this week written to the GST Council secretariat asking them to write to states and UTs asking them to contact MSME taxpayers and their trade and industry associations in their respective states and UTs, collect their grievances/issues related to GST along with suggestions thereof for mitigating the issues.

The GST Council secretariat have been tasked to compile the suggestions and responses and send to the CBIC, which is the apex body for Indirect taxes in the country, by tomorrow.

Also Director General GST in the CBIC has been asked to collect information from Goods and Services Tax (GST) zones across the country and report to the GST policy wing in the board.

The 29th GST Council meeting, to be held on August 4, will discuss issues faced by the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) and ways to solve their problems.

Finance Minister Piyush Goyal had last week said that the next meeting of the Council will focus on simplification, rationalisation and relief to small tax payers.

The Council has already allowed companies with turnover of up to Rs 5 crore to file GST returns quarterly. This was hiked from Rs 1.5 crore decided earlier.