Lack of awareness leads to less GST enrollment

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, March 6: The closing of enrollment of traders to GST regime from previous tax regime is March end. Lack of awareness on the part of traders on GST saw very less enrollment of traders to GST regime.

Only 11,668 provisiol identity cards were issued to traders under Shillong zone. There are 2,250 traders under Central Excise and 22,085 traders under service tax under Guwahati, Dibrugarh and Shillong commissionerates. Only 140 traders have migrated to GST regime from the previous tax regime. Whereas at all-India level, only 9.58 per cent traders have migrated to GST regime under service tax and 3.25 per cent traders have migrated to GST regime under Central Excise.

“We have decided to publish advertisements and road shows to generate awareness among traders. Technical problems are also responsible for the poor migration of traders into GST regime. The opening of seva kendras, transparency in official works and online system will help in a big way to speed up the process of migration of traders into GST regime,” official sources in Central Excise and Service Tax said.

The Goods and Service Tax bill will eble the existing taxes of India to merge into single system of taxation. GST is an indirect taxation on manufacture, sale and purchase of goods which will replace the taxes being levied by states and the Centre on goods. Taxpayers registered under VAT, service tax and Central Excise will have to migrate to GST regime by furnishing details via online.