Cabinet to vet anti-profiteering body chief post
A proposal to create a chairman for the proposed anti-profiteering authority (APA) under the goods and services tax (GST) system is likely to go to the Union Cabinet. Also, it will take at least a month to implement the e-way bill, aimed at tracking movement of goods under the GST system.
The APA is meant to ensure companies above a specified threshold pass on their GST benefit in cost to the consumer. It is proposed to be chaired by someone of the rank of secretary to the government, sources said.
At present, a four-member 'standing committee' of central and state tax officials has been set up to handle complaints of undue profiteering by any entity under the GST regime. Another fivemember committee headed by cabinet secretary P K Sinha, revenue secretary Hasmukh Adhia, Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) head Vanaja Sarna and chief secretaries from two states, would finalise the APA's chairman and members. The body is meant to have only a two-year life.
The standing committee mentioned earlier is to refer any cases it finds fit for investigation to the Directorate General of Safeguards in the department of revenue. It has two officers from CBEC and one each from the Delhi and Haryana tax departments. The CBEC officers are Himanshu Gupta, principal commissioner, GST Delhi and O P Dadhich, principal commissioner, customs (preventive). Delhi. The other two members are H Rajesh Prasad, commissioner (sales tax) in the Delhi government, and Ashima Brar, excise and taxation commissioner, Haryana.
Archit Gupta, head of online tax filing portal ClearTax, said: "As the government prepares to set up the anti-profiteering committee, we hope there is a plan in place for setting up an Advance Ruling Authority as well. The committee, as it has been laid down, must work in favour of the ultimate consumer and not cause panic." E-Bill
Sources said putting in place the necessary computer software and other mechanisms for the e-way bill would take at least a month.
Gupta said, "As things are still settling down and taxpayers are preparing to file the first set of GSTR1,2,3 returns, it is wise to push this change out further."
The e-way bill has already been notified. The notification has exempted certain items of mass consumptions from its ambit, such as vegetables, fruit, foodgrain, meat, bread, curd, books and jewellery. An e-way bill is required even if goods are transferred from one vehicle to the other.