On Wednesday, the Rajya Sabha gave its nod to a bill designed to streamline the establishment of Goods and Services Tax (GST) appellate tribunals (Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal). This endorsed bill introduces significant alterations to the criteria for appointing tribunal members, instituting a mandatory minimum age of 50 for both members and presidents of the tribunal.
The 2023 Central Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Bill was returned by the House.
In the absence of the members of the opposition, the bill was passed who were suspended for the past few days.
For discussion, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman moved the bill. Lok Sabha which already passed the bill asks for the revision of the Central Goods and Services Tax Act 2017.
The suggested changes aim to enhance the current framework of the Central Goods and Services Tax (CGST) Act of 2017, particularly targeting the imposition and gathering of CGST for transactions involving goods and services within a single state.
At present, 28 tribunals are being set up.
The objective of the Bill is to broaden the range of qualified candidates eligible for judicial roles in these tribunals. It introduces a provision enabling advocates with at least a decade of experience, particularly in indirect taxation, to serve as judicial members.
