GST improved tax compliance:survey

GST improved tax compliance:survey

Under the gooods and services tax (GST) regime,prices have not changed said many respondents to a survey conducted by the consultancy firm KPMG

Around 43% of the respondents said prices had remained neutral under teh GST. However, 33 percent said prices had  increased  and 24 percent said these had gone down .As many as 87 Percent said tax compliance had increased under GST :while 13 percent said otherwise. A total of 232 chief executive officers, co-founders and chief technology officers of serval companies participated in the survey

Around 53 per cent of respondents were not clear about the anti-profiteering provisions: 33 per cent were.sevently per cent said the government should have implemented these provisions before the GST was rolled  out. Around 36 percent said the provisions  should have been restricted to sectors where business to consumer supplies wre involved,
And, around 110 per cent said anti-profiteering provisions should not have been implemented at all.

The anti- profiteering mechanism under the GST is a three-stage process. There is a state-level screening comittee for local complaints and a standing committee for national-level complaints . Then, an investigation by the Directorate General of Safeguards(DGS)  and a probe by the decision-making body, the National  Anti-Profiteering Authority(NAA).

The  NAA has so far received 169 complaints, alleging suppliers have not  passed on the GST benefits to customers.The DGs, investigate arm of the department of revenue, has given notices to some companies.Around 51 per cent said they were satisfied with the various deadlines given under the GSt regime.The remaining 49 percent wre not.

An overwhelming majority of respondents siad GST Network needs to improve. Around 95 per cent said it should be , while five per cent said the  portal cannot be made more effective.

The Mint, New Delhi, 24th February 2018