Filling of yearly returns under Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be a tall assignment, feel tax practitioners. The figures of returns filed by the central government show that only 17% of returns for the financial year 2017-18 have been filed in more than five months, with just three weeks left, they wonder how the remaining 83% returns will be filed. They state expanding the date isn’t a choice. Just improvement of filing of returns can resolve the issue.
Businessmen under standard GST need to file annual return GSTR-9, while sellers who have opted Composition Scheme by paying lump-sum tax need to file GSTR-9A. Those filing GSTR-9 need to file audit return in form of GSTR-9C.
Central Board of Indirect Taxes (CBIC), in its ongoing note, conceded that only 14,85,863 have recorded GSTR-9, 4,33,144 sellers have filed GSTR-9A and 11,334 vendors ready to file GSTR-9C. Axat Vyas, member from the center committee of National Action Committee (NAC) of GST Practitioners said that there are an expected 89,11,797 vendors expected to file GSTR-9, 15,82,127 sellers expected to file GSTR-9A and 3,14,818 vendors expected to file GSTR-9C. This adds up to 16.67% compliance for GSTR-9, 27.38% compliance for GSTR-9A and just 3.6% compliance of GSTR-9C. Overall compliance is about 17.85%. CBIC has additionally asked its field staff to direct an outreach exercise to guarantee all returns are filed. But, tax practitioners see things in a different way.
“This information has been announced by CBIC. Over 17% of returns have been filed in more than five months. In what manner will remaining 83% returns be filed in the remaining three weeks,” asked a disturbed Lalit Ganatra, a tax practitioner. He accuses the issues in filing returns to complicated arrangements thus expanding the due dates won’t work. “We have time and again suggested that the government should make forms for returns simpler,” he said.
Ganatra disclosed to DNA that it isn’t simply complicated for tax practitioners to comprehend these forms and strategies, even the staff of Central GST and State GST fail to get things. “When they themselves, in what way will they eliminate the confusion for us?” he inquired.
GST was rolled out in the nation on July 1, 2017 and the due date for filing of yearly returns for the financial year 2017-18 has been reached out in past as a result of a host of issues. The due date for filing of Income Tax Returns has additionally been extended to August 31, overlapping with GSTR yearly returns, which has made things progressively troublesome, feel tax payers.
THE ISSUES:
- Tax practitioners state expanding the date isn’t an alternative. Just simplification of filing of returns can solve the issue
- Just 17% of returns for the financial year 2017-18 have been filed in more than five months
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