BILL ‘TO EASE GST PROCESS’ PASSED IN ASSEMBLY
The Delhi assembly on Friday passed the Goods and Services (Amendment) Bill 2021, which the government said was aimed at “smoothening the taxpaying process, and strengthening accountability and minimising room for tax evasions”, amid protests from the BJP legislators.
“One of the key features of this amendment is the removal of the requirement of compulsory submission of audited annual accounts and reconciliation statements for the registered taxpayers, which had earlier made traders dependent on chartered and cost accountants. Further, in case of detention, seizure of goods..., the goods can now be released on the payment of penalty, as against the earlier practice of paying up the tax too. Third, the interest charged in case of delay in filing GST was previously charged on gross amount which has now been changed retrospectively (from 1.7.2017) to the net amount,” said deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who tabled the Bill on Friday -- the last day of the Monsoon session of the assembly.
When Bharatiya Janata Party legislators in the House protested that they were not consulted about it, Sisodia said that these amendments were approved in the meeting of the GST Council, chaired by Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, held in March this year.
He further said, “To stop tax evasion, the GST council has decided to allow attaching property and accounts of not just the taxable person but also of other beneficiaries.”
The Bill was eventually passed with a majority in the 70-member assembly which has 62 AAP legislators and eight from BJP.
The assembly also passed a Bill allowing registration of “bed and breakfast” establishments within 30 days, as against an earlier time frame of up to 90 days.
“In the light of the pandemic, the declining tourism sector will get a boost from these positive changes in the ‘Bed and Breakfast scheme’ of the Delhi government. The number (of bed and breakfast facilities) will increase once the scheme is implemented and boost tourism,” said Sisodia, who tabled the Bill.
NEW DELHI: