Industry urges GST council to fix timeline for formation of GSTAT

New Delhi, July 11 (KNN) With the GST council set to meet today, the industry is seeking more clarity on the timeline for the formation of GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT). 

Bimal Jain, chairman of the indirect tax committee at industry chamber PHDCCI said, “The GST Council should frame rules and fix a definite timeline for the formation of GSTAT, which will streamline jurisprudence and help taxpayers address grievances.”

The industry is pleading for a streamlined system to decide on indirect tax cases that have piled up in the tribunals’ absence and clear rules on procedures with timelines for resolution, reported The Hindu.

While the GST regime is now six years old, taxpayers have had to approach the courts to resolve disputes as the government dithered on setting up the GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT). 

As per reports, Assocham has flagged that many appeals are already pending to be filed before the tribunal, which can be dealt with expeditiously if a mechanism can be devised to put up matters involving similar issues together before the tribunal.

For deciding substantial questions of law, the industry body has suggested framing a provision that enables direct appeal to Supreme Court against an order of the GSTAT in cases relating to GST classification and valuation, as was the case under the earlier Customs and Excise laws.

As part of a slew of recommendations for reforms to the GST regime, Assocham noted there is still ambiguity around the procedural aspects of GSTAT and suggested that filing of appeals should be made entirely digital and paperless.

KNN Bureau