GST Data Restored Temporarily for Industry Convenience

The GST Network has temporarily restored the July and August 2017 return data on its portal after feedback from the trade and industry. This comes in light of its policy to retain taxpayer data for only seven years. Taxpayers have been advised to download the relevant data.

The GST Network (GSTN) announced on Sunday that the return data for July and August 2017, the initial implementation months of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), has been temporarily restored on its portal.

Last week, GSTN clarified that it is enforcing its data policy that mandates a seven-year retention period for taxpayer data. The returns data will expire after this period and subsequently be archived. Therefore, data for July 2017 was archived on August 1, 2024, and for August 2017 on September 1, 2024.

Due to requests from the trade and industry for more time to download essential data, GSTN has restored the data on the portal. An advisory issued on Sunday urged taxpayers to save any relevant data, warning that the archival policy will be re-implemented after prior notice. Under GST law, returns cannot be filed after three years from the due date.