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The pendency of GST refund claims has come down significantly over the past two years as of March 31, 2026, Parliament was informed on Monday. In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said 64 claims involving a refund amount of about Rs 164 crore were pending for more than 60 days but up to 90 days as of March 31, 2026. This is significantly lower than 907 claims involving a refund amount of Rs 274 crore at the end of FY24; and 374 claims involving a refund amount of Rs 246 crore as of FY25. With regard to GST refunds, which are pending for more than 90 days, the number of claims has come down to 110 involving a claim of Rs 64 crore as of March 31, 2026. This corresponds to 1,592 claims involving a refund of Rs 696 crore as of FY24 and 712 claims worth Rs 560 crore as of FY25. Chaudhary said the delay in processing of refund claims is mainly on account of delayed submission of documents and delayed submission of replies by the taxpayers i
GST field officers will now have to seek the approval of their zonal principal chief commissioners to initiate an investigation against any big industrial houses or major MNCs and levy duty on goods/services for the first time. The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has issued guidelines for Central GST (CGST) officers. According to the guidelines, when a taxpayer is simultaneously being investigated by the state GST and DGGI officers on different subject matters, the principal commissioner will "consider the feasibility" of only one of the offices pursuing all the cases with respect to the taxpayer. The guidelines have also set a deadline for tax officers to conclude an investigation within one year of their initiation. CBIC further said that in initiating an investigation with respect to a listed company or PSU or seeking details from them, the CGST officers should issue "official letters instead of summons" to the designated officer of the entity, detailing the .