Reduce payment pendencies before GST roll-out: CBEC Chairman

The Dollar Business Bureau

Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) asked its officials to prepare an action plan to clear the pending payments of drawback and refunds for smooth transaction to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime that is to be implemented from April next year.

In a communiqué to the top officials, CBEC Chairman Najib Shah said that preparations for implementing GST from the beginning of the next financial year is in full swing with the current focus on timely completion in its administrative and legal framework.

“At the same time, it is essential to keep focussing on reducing the pendencies of present work items as this would have a vital bearing on successfully implementing the GST,” Shah said.
The pending tasks are related to adjudication and refunds, rebates and drawbacks payment.

“You would agree that too heavy a burden of legacy work regime would hamper us in giving our undivided attention to GST. The solution, therefore, is to immediately chalk out an action plan to reduce the pendencies to the maximum possible extent in the balance months of the current financial year,” Shah said.

The Government of India intends to introduce the GST from April 1, next year. The tax will merge most of the indirect taxes and make the country a common market.

Shah said with the proposed focused approach on cutting pendencies by April, he is confident that the CBEC would be in a comfortable position to ensure the success of GST in the national interest.