Surat: A delegation from the South Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry, led by President Ramesh Vaghasia, met with State Chief Tax Officer Sameer Vakil in Surat to address a series of issues related to the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
The delegation, which also included the Chamber's GST Committee Chairman Mukund Chauhan, Group Chairman CA Hardik Shah, and Co-Chairmen Rajesh Bhauwala, Ishwar Jiwani, Mahesh Savaliya, Chandu Suhagia, and Prakash Bambhani, brought up several key concerns.
The first issue was that traders who fail to file GST returns for two consecutive months have their bank accounts attached, a process which the Chamber deems overly strict. They requested that the department should reconsider such action and halt the process of bank attachment.
They also raised the issue of show cause notices being issued by the GST department through Form ASMT 10 under section 6, regarding differences between GSTR 2A and GSTR 3B. Despite the details of such cases being readily available in the annual returns, authorities continue to issue notices, halting the process unnecessarily.
Further, the delegation drew attention to the textile units, where packing material involves high input tax and low output tax. This creates an inverse duty structure, prompting traders to appeal for cash refunds. The Chamber called for automated catering for these traders.
The delegation also highlighted concerns about pending ASMT 12 cases, the issuance of DRC 04 by the department, and the reversal of ITC where there is no legal backing.
Lastly, the Chamber proposed four points for the evaluation process, aiming to increase transparency and fairness. These included reliance on documents sent with the show cause notice, giving dealers more than 30 days to respond to notices, ensuring personal hearings before passing orders, and issuing orders with detailed information.
State Chief Tax Officer Sameer Vakil responded positively to the Chamber's presentation, promising that the department would work diligently to address the concerns raised as promptly as possible.
