Tax officials to send 50,000 letters to PM for successful GST

Tax officials to send 50,000 letters to PM for successful GST

New Delhi: At least 50,000 letters will be sent by indirect tax officials to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking his intervention to ensure successful roll-out of Goods and Services Tax (GST).

A decision in this regard was taken during a meeting of representatives of All India Association of Central Excise Gazetted Executive Officers and those from Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise).
"We have decided that each employee working under Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) will write a letter to the Prime Minister seeking his intervention for the successful GST.

"Though there are about 85,000 indirect tax employees working at various levels across the country, at least 50,000 letters will be sent to the Prime Minister within next two days," said Anup Kumar Srivastava, President of IRS officers association.

He said through letters, the Prime Minister will be requested to revisit some of the decisions taken by the GST Council, headed by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, in its meeting on January 16.

"There are certain issues concerning economic interests of the nation and concerning such a large work force like ours, who have been working for GST tirelessly for last 10 years and we want that these are resolved immediately to make roll-out of GST successful," he told PTI.

The GST Council had in its meeting agreed to give states the powers to levy tax on economic activity within 12 nautical miles of territorial waters and to administer 90 per cent of the tax payers under Rs 1.5 crore annual turnover.

The indirect tax employees unions are demanding that the GST Council decisions are reviewed. They have also expressed concerns over Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) - a private company set up to provide information technology infrastructure for the implementation of the new tax regime, saying that it may be put under the CBEC.

PTI

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GST - 70,000 Tax Officials warn of non-cooperation movement

GST - 70,000 Tax Officials warn of non-cooperation movement

Opposing some recent decisions taken by GST Council, various indirect tax officials' associations today decided to start non-cooperation movement.

To start with, the employees associations will not celebrate international customs day on Friday. Besides, they will observe 'black day' by wearing black badges on Martyrs' Day, i.E. January 30, as per minutes of meeting held among their representatives here.

The associations said that their members are "highly disappointed" and feel "cheated" over the decisions taken by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley-led GST Council in its meeting on January 16.

The Council had agreed to give states the powers to levy tax on economic activity within 12 nautical miles of territorial waters and to administer 90 per cent of the tax payers under Rs 1.5 crore annual turnover.

"We feel that the biggest tax reform of the century should have been in conformity with the principles of responsibility and authority going together and also in conformity with the Constitutional design. We feel that the decision shall weaken the Centre's ability to ensure its revenues.

"The decision will not only adversely affect the career of revenue officers but it is not in national interest. We oppose the decisions taken by GST Council and requests for deferment and review of above inappropriate and incorrect decisions," as per the minutes of meeting of steering committee of associations representing Group A, B and C employees of Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC).

The decision came after a meeting of representatives of Indian Revenue Service (Customs and Central Excise), All India Association of Central Excise Gazetted Executive Officers, All India Central Excise Inspectors' Association and All India Central Excise and Service Tax Ministerial Officers Association, comprising 70,000 personnel, here, office bearers said.
According to them, the decision taken by GST Council in its January 16, meeting will not only weaken the Centre but also adversely affect the Indian economy and revenue collection but also national security.

They have decided to request authorities concerned to take immediate necessary action to resolve the issues and to defer the unjustified decision of GST Council taken under pressure of state VAT officers.

"We feel that if the above genuine demands in national and revenue interest are not considered then this disciplined service will be forced to initiate non-cooperation movement following Gandhian methods of Satyagraha," the associations said.

The Goods and Services Tax (GST) is likely to be rolled out from July 1, as against April 1 decided earlier by the government.

PTI

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Government Sets 5-Day Timeline for 80% Service Tax Refund

Government Sets 5-Day Timeline for 80% Service Tax Refund

New Delhi: Seeking to fast-track service tax refund to exporters, the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) on Tuesday fixed a timeline for 80 per cent payment of the total amount claimed.

“On the receipt of the document… in respect of the pending case, the jurisdictional deputy/assistant commissioner… will make a provisional payment of 80 per cent of the amount claimed as refund within five working days of the receipt of the documents,” a CBEC circular said.

The move will speed up sanction of the refund accumulated CENVAT credit to exporters of the services, it added.

It is also clarified that the decision to grant provisional payment is an administrative order and not a quasi-judicial order and should not be subjected to review.

This payment of 80 per cent of the refund shall be purely provisional based on the documents above and without prejudice to the department’s right to check the correctness of the claim in terms of the relevant notification, it said.

On the CBEC move, Nasscom said the circular has reiterated granting 80 per cent upfront refund within a week and the balance 20 per cent on scrutiny of applications.

This is applicable to service tax refund claims filed under Rule 5 of the CENVAT Credit Rules, 2004 (CENVAT Rules) on or before March 31, 2015.

“This scheme is applicable to cases that have not been disposed of so far. A claimant on submission of statutory auditor certificate certifying refund eligibility in the prescribed format and an undertaking to repay with interest in the case of refund adjustment, will receive 80 per cent refund amount within five days,” it said.

Source: NDTV

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