Avert disaster
With reference to “No time for software testing now: GSTN chairman Navin Kumar” (June 26), the news on the front page of Business Standard sent shivers down my spine. I faced a similar situation in 1986 in the Bombay Custom House when the computer system was introduced. I was the collector of customs and had to face the terrible situation of failing software every now and then leading to agitation by importers and exporters. All trade and industry associations used to swoop down on me blaming the stoppage of work. I managed to carry on temporarily with manual processes but that was a much simpler situation than the goods and services tax (GST). If all the software fails, the input credit will stop and there will be mass protest. The chairman, Navin Kumar, has said, “We would have loved to have a couple of months more before the roll out.” The government should give him two months and commenced the GST on September 1. There is still time to avoid the disaster.
Sukumar Mukhopadhyay New Delhi some mines to non-qualified seekers. Wasn’t it the duty of the officers to detect, for example, a claimant not having the requisite net worth? There can be no defence available if a person has failed to perform to the high standards expected from the senior-most officers.
P Datta Kolkata
It is quite ostensible that the “six” elements listed by him should be present in the insolvency and bankruptcy council to fight against the risk of “organisational rout” or any negative externalities being borne out of the system. A talented pool of legal professionals can expedite the process of insolvency resolution through an overarching regulatory oversight. As the basic architecture appears to be sound, it is only about a fool-proof implementation as recourse for managing defaulted cases of both big and small under the aegis of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board.
In contrast, the multiple rates under the GST may create arbitrage opportunities due to “mis-classification”, as ice cream and yoghurt being a case in point. The GST council needs to be regulated by a unified Central Board of Taxes to triangulate between corporate income tax and the GST. Furthermore, real-time reporting with minimal errors, accountability and a dedicated board with the right composition and delegation of authorities can improve load-bearing capacity. Otherwise, “broken” architecture of the GST policy and administration may not be able to bear the load of a rapid transition from the old to the new indirect tax regime.
Kushankur Dey Bhubaneswar