Tax consultant associations in MP are requesting that the Central Government eliminate the condition of submitting English translations of records when filing appeals before the GST tribunal. They claim that this rule is unworkable in a Hindi-speaking state and charges unnecessary costs on taxpayers.
A tax professional from Indore demanded this, claiming that the existing provisions place an unnecessary compliance burden on appellants, especially small businesses and individual taxpayers.
Petition Given to Finance Minister
The Madhya Pradesh Tax Law Bar Association, along with the Commercial Tax Practitioners Association, has submitted a memorandum to the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman requesting relief from the translation requirement.
From the associations, most orders issued by the State GST department are already in Hindi, rendering English translations at the appellate stage redundant and costly.
Rule 23 Condition Declared Inoperable
Under Rule 23, regulatory procedures of the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal, appeals filed in a language other than English need to be accompanied by translated copies of all supporting documents.
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As per tax professionals, the same pre-requisite does not exhibit ground realities in Hindi-speaking states, where official communication and records are maintained in Hindi.
Legal Performance and Language Approach
According to the associations, Madhya Pradesh is categorised as a Hindi-priority state under language rules, and hence, the need to translate every document into English produces procedural issues.
The mentioned constitutional provisions mention that the English language requirement is applicable to the proceedings before higher constitutional courts, not statutory tribunals like the GST Appellate Tribunal.
Demand for the Hindi Language to Enhance Justice
Tax bodies asked the Centre to permit tribunal benches in Hindi-speaking states to accept appeals, orders, and pertinent documents in Hindi without mandatory translations.
They cited that the same amendment shall lessen litigation costs, ease compliance, and ensure fair access to justice for taxpayers.
Major Impact on Experts
Experts assume that if the demand is accepted, then the same can make GST dispute resolutions more inclusive and efficient whole setting a precedent for other states where regional languages dominate the procedure of administration.
