Though the government is getting praised for the new tax regime system from the industry, small enterprises and traders are still facing lots of the problem in decoding the GST, due to the technical glitch.
The GST return filing portal is creating difficulties because GST is not only about taxes, it is affecting every unit of the business. It impacts every business part right from the accounting department, financial reporting, supply chain, technology enabling, contracts redesign and tax compliances. Businesses are working on the transitional changes like input credits, refund claims, exemption and many more.
Read Also: How to File GST Refund Claims Manually? Step by Step Guide
According to the small businessmen, goods and service tax portal is a burden to their business. An employee who manages the finance at parlour said, “I tried filing the returns a couple of times and just could not do it. I finally had to give up and seek help from a Chartered Accountant (CA). Now he is the one who handles everything. Without him, we would be lost.”
The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) has organized a survey in the month of November 2017 to January 2018 after the implementation of GST of the small enterprises. In the report, it is mentioned that the main issue linked to the GSTN portal as one of the main reasons for procedural pain in the transition to the GST era. It states the number of small businesses that are registered in the GSTN number but are struggling due to its technical glitch and thus have no further option than to take professional help.
A proprietor outlet owner said, “It looked so complex and complicated. It is not that I could not do it, but I knew it would take a lot of time and should I spend my time filing returns or concentrating on business?”
However, it is the story of some businessmen, while others are not in the position to take professional help, but are dealing it without the guidance. Other companies are spending hours trying to figure their way around in the portal and trying, finding the path of least possible resistance when it comes to filing their tax returns on the site.
A small eatery owner also expressed the problem, that. “I am really suffering and my business is taking a huge hit. I don’t have the money to hire professionals. So my husband and I sit up and do it every night. It takes so much of our time and I come to work drained the next morning. I think I have no option but to set aside an amount for a professional because it is really taking a toll on us.”
Apart from the procedural pain, there is also another problem for those who are involved in the small software business, that is even after many attempts when they finally manage to fill up the form after a couple of months, they have to penalty of many thousands rupees as well.
Recommended: Ready To Pay Goods and Services Tax Return Filing Penalties Soon
Another reason for not filing up the returning past is the penalty, as because of this small and medium businessmen are away from filing the return. They are hesitant to fill up the form now, as this will cost them lots of money and hence they are staying away from it.
One of the employees said that for those who are not familiar with filing returns online or even are not capable of reading English, it is extremely tough because all the communication is done in English. Getting professional help is the only way out, but how many of these enterprises have the money to take the professional help.
