Eight tax officers to handle your GST queries online
In light of mass complaints regarding lack of information about the GST, the Finance Ministry has roped in eight tax officers, all assistant commissioners, to answer related queries on Twitter/email with immediate effect. They will provide online solutions to people facing problems with the new regime, an official said. There are other places you can turn to for help too. Find out here.
About India's newest unified tax regime
The Goods and Services Tax (GSTR) was introduced on July 1, 2017, which unified the existing 16 different central and state taxes, including excise, VAT and service tax. Under GST, almost all goods and services were brought under a fixed four-rate tax structure at 5%, 12%, 18% and 28%. Some items like gold, rough diamonds and fuel aren't covered under its umbrella.
Lack of information has been a common complaint
The new regime needed businesses to register themselves on the GSTN, re-train their workforce, vendors and partners, and revise their pricing strategy to ensure reduction in tax burden is passed on to consumers, among many other changes. But one persistent complaint has been there's lack of clarity about the regime. Considering this, deadlines for filing returns have been extended and late filing penalty reduced.
You can contact these channels for any related query
To address concerns, Central Board of Excise and Customs launched several helplines. The GST Help Desk can be contacted at 1800-1200-232 or cbecmitra.helpdesk@icegate.gov.in. The GSTN Help Desk is reachable at 0120 4888999 or helpdesk@gst.gov.in. Twitter queries can be directed to @askGST_GOI or @askGSTech. Now eight tax officers have been assigned to address related questions.
