Goa CM Pushes for GST Relief, Secures Major Win for Small Traders at Council Meet

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant attended the 53rd GST Council meeting in New Delhi and highlighted the issues small traders faced with input tax credit claims due to late returns. The Council accepted his proposal, benefiting approximately 5 lakh taxpayers. Changes also included waiving interest and penalty for initial years.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant actively participated in the 53rd GST Council meeting held in New Delhi, bringing to the forefront the challenges faced by small traders in claiming their input tax credits (ITC) due to delayed returns.

The meeting saw Sawant emphasizing the plight of taxpayers who lagged in filing their GST returns, largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and various financial and technical hurdles. As a result, these taxpayers were denied their ITC claims according to Section 16(4) of the GST Law.

Sawant's proposal to relax the time limit for returns filed between 2017-18 and 2020-21 was accepted by the Council, benefiting about 5 lakh taxpayers nationwide. Furthermore, the discussion led to the decision to amend the law to alleviate manufacturing costs for the liquor industry by exempting extra neutral alcohol (ENA) from GST.