According to the Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), the Grievance Redressal Committee (GRC), responsible for resolving GST taxation issues, has not convened a meeting since July 2021. As a result, numerous complaints and grievances have been left pending for over two years.
The President of GCCI has written to the GST authorities and Industries Minister Mauvin Godinho, urging for an immediate meeting of the Grievance Redressal Committee.
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Mauvin Godinho serves as Goa’s representative on the GST Council.
He pointed out that currently, stakeholders lack a platform to collectively address practical issues concerning GST with the CGST and SGST offices. The GRC serves as a connection between stakeholders and the CGST and SGST offices. Given the dynamic nature of the GST statute and the regular updates to the GST portal, it is crucial to hold regular meetings between trade associations and GST offices to ensure compliance and timely resolution of grievances.
The GRC’s fourth meeting took place on July 20, 2021, and the fifth meeting was scheduled for October 14, 2022, but has been indefinitely postponed.
Despite the committee’s plan to hold meetings once every quarter or more frequently based on the co-chairs’ decision, there have been no GST meetings conducted since July 2021, as stated by the President of GCCI.
He has corresponded with the chief commissioner in charge of central GST & customs, Pune zone, as well as the commissioner of central GST in Goa. The GCCI is a member of the Grievance Redressal Committee (GRC) in Goa.
He emphasized that the GRC meetings held in the past have successfully addressed various practical challenges faced by taxpayers, leading to the resolution of grievances related to procedural difficulties and IT issues.
Considering the significant amount of time that has passed since the last meeting, the GCCI has requested the revival of the GST grievance redressal committee for the benefit of stakeholders. They have urged for the earliest possible scheduling of the next committee meeting.
In 2019-20, the GST council made a decision to establish a well-structured mechanism for addressing the grievances of taxpayers under the GST system. Consequently, they approved the formation of a “Grievance Redressal Committee” at the state level.
