The Odisha Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Bill, 2023 has been approved by the State Cabinet, chaired by the Chief Minister of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik. This Bill proposes to provide certain facilities and tax authorities in the state, while also simplifying the existing provision.
According to the amended Bill, appeals against decisions made by the appellate authority or the revisional authority will now be heard by the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal, which was established under the CGST Act, 2017.
This tribunal will also serve as the appellate tribunal under the OGST Act. Furthermore, the appellate tribunal will have the ability to establish primary benches and state benches, replacing the previous structure of area benches, national benches, or regional benches.
One significant change brought about by the amendment is the increase in the monetary threshold for initiating prosecution. The threshold has been raised from Rs 1 crore to Rs 2 crore, resulting in the decriminalisation of certain offences.
As a result, individuals who have the option of compounding their offences will now be exempted from prosecution. Specifically, those involved in crimes related to issuing GST invoices without actually supplying products, services, or both, will be excluded.
Additionally, the amendment eliminates the restriction on registered individuals who offer goods through operators of Internet commerce, allowing them to choose the composition levy for tax payment.
Furthermore, the amended bill specifies that individuals who receive goods or services, or both, and intend to use them for activities related to their corporate social responsibility under Section 135 of the Companies Act, 2013 will not be eligible for an input tax credit. Previously, applications for registration revocation or cancellation had to be submitted within 30 days.
