CBEC Speeds-Up IT Training of GST Officers

The government along with the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has pressurized for wrapping up IT training of the authority officials in order to align with 1st July roll out of goods and services tax. The previous week, the union finance minister Arun Jaitley mentioned that a minor percentage of around 40 percent tax officers has been trained under the IT training initiative for the operations of GST portal which is a source from the GST network.

The finance ministry in his statement to the revenue secretary after the review of GSTN and CBEC for GST was that, “Out of 62,937 tax officials, 24,668 have been given hands-on training on the application software on live system while the remaining officials will be trained by June 15, The training is being conducted on registration, returns and payment modules developed by GSTN.”

The chairperson CBEC Vanaja Sarna mentioned in her weekly letter that the difference between the working staff in taxation and the staff trained is quite big and it needs immediate concern for the smooth implementation of the upcoming goods and services tax in India.

She also said in the letter that, “For this, it is required to revamp the training schedule with a view to complete the training within the stipulated time. Member (IT) would separately be communicating with the chief commissioners in this regard with timeline details.”

She demanded on a personal behalf that all the tax officials should get their training as soon as possible and must be ready with the knowledge of operations on the GST portal by 31st May if possible. The date given by the chairperson is 15 days earlier than what the finance ministry has decided in its reports done for the assessment of the tax officials.

CBEC which was recently changed with CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs) will be held responsible for all the progressions done in the area of directorates and field formations. It will also extend its help to the government for assisting in policy formation for the upcoming goods and services tax while performing back-end operations like customs application and levying central excise duty.

The provisions of the proposed GST rules and regulations has been integrated with the ongoing rule formations of the service tax and central excise of Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs (CBIC) for the proper execution and imposition of highly significant Goods and services tax draft laws.