GST Council: Slow process of return simplification dismays Kerala FM

Kerala finance minister Thomas Isaac wonders why the Council is debating the return filing process nine months after the GST implementation

On a day when the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council is deliberating on simplification of the return-filing process, Kerala has voiced its displeasure at the implementation of the new indirect taxation system.

Kerala finance minister Thomas Isaac wondered in a tweet why the Council was debating the return filing process nine months after the GST implementation.

"It is a sad commentary on the implementation of GST that three quarters into a year we are still debating the return filing system," he tweeted.

He said it seemed it would take another six months before the new system would stabilise. "What would happen to the annual return," he asked.

The Council is debating a single GST return, against three in a month proposed earlier. It will also take up the issue of sugar cess, which is also being opposed by many states.

The other issues that will come up include converting the GST Network into a government-owned company and incentivising digital payments.