In a recent controversy towards the faults and glitches of the GSTN portal, the Gujarat Sales Tax Bar Association (GSTBA) has warned the government authorities for an indefinite strike against the GSTN portal which is not working properly from a long time.
Back in the days as CM of the state of Gujarat, PM Modi had very sternly opposed GST. He had made it clear to the then Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee that GST could be a reality if and only if the country had the internet/technology infrastructure. Fast forward to present times, the ruling BJP government led by PM Modi launched it last year after the necessary changes were done to the Congress draft of GST bill.
The bill was unanimously passed by all members of the parliament (excluding AIADMK members). However, the implementation of GST has been a matter of concern for the Tax and Finance experts alike. The primary reason for concern has been the GSTN or the goods and service tax network. Gujarat, a major production state, seems to be the most hit by these frequent technical glitches in the GSTN portal.
As explained by experts, the portal is unable to perform database operations. Either the data is not saved or the portal is unable to recall saved data. This hinders submissions. This prompted the GST council to postpone the filing of GSTR 1 (supply returns) by January 10, 2018. But consultants fear that deadline extensions for filing the GSTR-1, GSTR 4, ITC-01, and TRAN are temporary solutions.
The consultants and tax assessees in Gujarat are looking for a permanent solution for easy filing of the GST returns on the portal.
GSTBA secretary Prashant Shah said, “Before Gujarat assembly elections, we had met the chief minister and he assured us to resolve the issues related to GST and the portal. We had called off the agitation based on chief minister’s assurance. Now, we are again meeting him on January 16 in Gandhinagar for a final discussion before launching the strike.”
Shah further added, “The business community in Gujarat is feeling harassed and mentally tortured due to the technical problems in GST portal. The last date of filing of the GSTR-1 was extended till January 10, but still, the users are not able to upload their returns on GST portal due to the glitches and they will have to pay Rs 200 per day for late filing.”