The government on Thursday deferred the implementation of the e-way bill system because of the “technological glitches” faced by the businesses and the transporter community on the first day of the rollout.
“In view of the difficulties faced by trade in generating e-way bill due to initial technological glitches, it has been decided to extend the trial phase for generation of e-way bill, both for inter- and intra-State movement of goods,” the Central Board of Excise and Customs tweeted.
However, the government did not clarify how long the trial will last. “It’ll be applicable from a date to be notified,” it said.
“The portal has been down since 12 noon. e-way bill has much wider implication and applicability in the whole business eco-system, therefore its stability is important to ensure compliance,” Archit Gupta, founder and CEO, ClearTax, told The Hindu .
Under the GST regime, all consignments worth over ₹50,000 moving over 10 km from their origin will require prior registration and generation of an e-way bill through the GST network. The system is aimed at helping authorities keep track of all taxable goods and detect potential tax evasion.
Pratik Jain, Partner & Leader, Indirect Tax-PwC India said: “This is precisely what Industry was concerned about. It is good that the government has been quick to defer it.”
The government had set a 15-day window for trials.
