Mumbai traders worried as GST confusion reigns

The Goods and Services Tax (GST), the biggest tax reform ever in India, will be implemented from June 1 with around 92 per cent of the VAT-paying traders having shifted to the new system. However, the state government does not yet have a record of the registrations made on the GST website (www.gst.gov.in) as it is handled by the Centre.

The GST will replace many Central and state taxes as per the Centre’s slogan of “one country,

Though 92% traders have registered for GST over the Web, the state government has no record of this

one tax”. But, ultimately, the consumers will have to shell out more money to pay GST. Under pressure to implement GST from July 1, the state government’s nodal agency, the sales tax department, has started registration of new traders under the GST.

“So far, 92 per cent of the VAT paying traders have migrated to the new GST system. But we do not have record of new registrations as of now. The website for new registrations is handled by the Centre so the final figure of the new registrations will come up in a couple of days,” an official in the sales tax department said.

The doubts over GST has created some confusion and fear among traders and consumers that the prices may go up for all commodities.

Experts and traders are not happy with what they see as a hasty implementation of GST.

— PTI Textile traders carry an effigy with pictures of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, finance minister Arun Jaitley and BJP president Amit Shah during a rally on the third day of their bandh against GST at Burrabazar in Kolkata on Thursday.