Last date for filing of GST returns extended

Businesses will have more time to file the final goods and services tax (GST) returns as the government on Monday extended the last date for filing of sales and purchase data, as well as payment of taxes for the months of July and August.

Now sales return or GSTR-1 for July will have to be filed by September 10 instead of September 5 earlier and purchase returns or GSTR-2 would be filed by September 25 instead of September 10 earlier. GSTR-3, which is the match of GSTR1 and GSTR-2, will have to be filed by September 30, in place of September 15.

The industry has been demanding an extension of the date of filing final GST returns in view of scores of invoices to be uploaded. The government will shortly issue notification to extend the date of filing returns.

In the initial returns filed in form GSTR-3B, taxes worth ~92,283 crore were collected for July from just 64.42 per cent of the total taxpayer base.

Of the 5.9 million businesses, who should file return for July, as many as 3.8 million taxpayers accounting for 64.42 per cent of the total businesses who had registered in July had filed their GST returns.