CBIC Looking To Popularise E-Invoicing, Tighten Registration, Says Special Secretary

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs is looking to tighten the GST registration process to weed out fake registrations, ease compliance and popularise e-invoicing among taxpayers.

The department's efforts towards improving compliance is showing results, said CBIC Special Secretary and Member Shashank Priya, at the ASSOCHAM National conference on GST.

Average monthly collections of Rs 1.66 lakh crore give hope that we can grow and offer opportunities to improve, he said.

The department is also working on popularising e-invoicing more and nudging taxpayers to do so, he said, adding that the current level of implementation is 'tardy'.

An extension to the business-to-customer segment for e-invoicing would be the next step after the business-to-business segment is penetrated, Priya said. The current e-invoicing threshold is set at Rs 5 crore. 

The GST Appellate Tribunal will hopefully be operational in four to five months, Priya said. The department will start the selection selection process for members.

A total of around 33,000 notices have been sent to companies as part of the ongoing series of GST demand notices for the period of 2017-18. An automated-scrutiny model is also being worked on by GST officials, the secretary said 

A meeting of the national coordination committee, a group comprised of GST authorities from state and centre units, is expected later in December, Priya said.