Government to Start Training Officials in GST Basics

GST structure will need a good number of expert officials and trained staff which can keep the taxation in flow, and in this same direction the state commercial tax department is building a team of experts which can further guide and make ready those officials who would be dealing with the core aspects of Goods and Service Tax regime expected to roll out on April 1, 2017. Recently, the CCEA has released Rs. 2256 crore for the project ‘SAKSHAM’ to CBEC GST IT network.

The trainers would be consisting of 31 trained officials from state commercial taxes department as well as the central excise, central service tax, and customs departments. The first batch of training has been conducted while the second batch is due on October 3.

The team will be accompanied with one source trainer, 10 master trainers, and 20 trainers. The minister for commercial taxes Bijendra Prasad Yadav told that “These trainers would train the officials concerned of the state commercial taxes department, as well as to officials of the central excise, central service tax, and customs departments working in the state.”

There are all around 360 officials in the state commercial tax department which need a training over the GST structure. The Minister told that “The pool of trainers is mixed. It consists of officials of the state commercial taxes department and the three central tax collecting wings”

The meeting continuously going to and fro in the sake of proper laying of rules and regulation of taxation scheme, as the first meeting held on 22 September and the second meeting will be conducted on 30 September. In this context, the minister said that “officials would be informed about the issues related to the “broader policy framework and fundamental aspects of the GST” and also as to the details of the binding law (GST Amendment Act). The September 30 meet of the GST Council would decide the rules of GST whose draft rules have already been put into the public domain to invite suggestions,”.

The meeting held on 22 September decided that the Center would collect taxes from traders/firms which have an annual turnover of Rs 1.5 crore, while the state would collect taxes from traders/firms whose turnover is up to Rs 1.5 crore.

At last, Yadav cleared that, “Framing of the GST rules is urgently required, as the officials need to be trained even in the GST rules,”.