The Centre on Tuesday sought to end all speculation about a possible deferment of the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from July 1, despite industry players, tax experts, and even some State governments asking for a later rollout date.
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The government “has emphasised that Goods and Services Tax is scheduled to roll-out on July 1, 2017,” a statement released by the Ministry of Finance said. “The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) in coordination with the State governments have increased their outreach programmes with regard to GST so as to reach the last trader. The GST formations are being notified shortly.”
The window for migration to GSTN has re-opened to assist the remaining taxpayers. The preparations are in full swing for a smooth implementation of the landmark tax reform from July 1, 2017.”
“The rumours about GST implementation being delayed are false. Please do not be misled by it,” Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia tweeted on Tuesday.
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While industry players are complaining that the GST rules have either been finalised too late and in some cases have still not been finalised, several GST Suvidha Providers have voiced their concerns about their level of preparedness and that of the GST Network, the IT backbone of GST.
West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra has also said that the lack of preparation among all stakeholders will mean that a July 1 rollout of the new tax regime will come with serious problems.