Introduction
Goods and Services tax (GST), which is often known as a historic reform, is now around the corner. After president Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent on September 8, 2016, the Government is firing on all cylinders to implement GST by April 1, 2017. However, the implementation will be little early for the existing tax payers.
The existing taxpayers will have to enrol themselves under the GST database by the end of this month.
Who are all liable to enrol?
Existing taxpayers are liable to enrol under GST system portal. An existing taxpayer is an entity registered with any of the authorities;
Further enrollment here means validating the data of existing taxpayers and filing up the remaining key fields.
Which is the final date of enrollment?
If you are a taxpayer in Goa, then you should read the notification and get yourself enrolled before November 29, 2016.
For rest of India, the dates have also been announced. The table is as follows:
STATES | START DATE | END DATE |
Pondicherry, Sikkim | 08/11/2016 | 23/11/2016 |
Gujrat, Maharashtra, Goa, Daman and Diu, Dadra Nagar Haveli, Chhattisgarh | 14/11/2016 | 29/11/2016 |
Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram | 30/11/2016 | 15/12/2016 |
Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan | 16/12/2016 | 31/12/2016 |
Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh | 01/01/2017 | 15/01/2017 |
Service Tax Registrants | 01/01/2017 | 31/01/2017 |
Delta All Registrants (All Groups) | 01/02/2017 | 20/03/2017 |
Procedure for enrollment under GST System Portal
#Point 1 – Paperless procedure: The whole system of enrollment will be paperless; hence, no hard copies shall be entertained by the department. Further, all the aforesaid registered taxpayers will need to visit the GST system portal.
Further, it is mandatory for every person to register if the annual turnover is more than Rs 20 lakh, the exemption limit.
#Point 2 – Provisional ID and password: Before visiting the GST system portal, you must have the provisional ID and password given to you by your concerned state authorities.
In Goa, all the registered taxpayers will have to visit the government office between November 9 and November 11, 2016, to collect sealed envelope containing the provisional ID and password.
The provisional ID format is here as under:
Hence, contact your ward officer to complete the online pre-registration under GST.
#Point 3 – Documents and information required: To complete the registration procedure, you must have the following information:
Further, also carry the following documents which need to be uploaded on the website:
(PDF and JPEG format in maximum file size of 1 MB).
#Point 4 – Fill information and submit: After you submit the form with all the information and documents, an acknowledgement number will be generated. Save that number for future correspondences.
Here are some points which may help you during enrollment process:
In case you have not received the provisional ID and password, kindly contact your concerned authorities.
A primary authorised signatory is a person who is primarily responsible for performing action on the GST System Portal on behalf of the taxpayer. All communication from the GST System Portal relating to the taxpayer will be sent to him.
For example, in case of proprietor, the proprietor himself or any person authorised by him; in case of partnership, any of the partner authorised or any person authorised; in case of Company/LLP, Society, Trust, the person who is authorised by Board or Governing Body, etc., can act as primary authorised signatory. A copy of authorization needs to be uploaded.
Following details are auto-populated in the enrolment application based on your existing data:
You cannot make changes to legal name, state name and PAN as appearing in the enrolment application. These details have been migrated from existing tax systems of State or Center, as the case may be.
Conclusion
GST is now a reality and it is far more complex and stringent when it comes to compliance. Enrollment is only a procedural aspect; however, the real game will begin from April 1, 2017. I would recommend all the existing taxpayers or the newcomers to prepare for GST. The penalties concerning it could cost you few lakh even for a small mistake.
Hence, lay down your strategy in advance and go and win the world.
Important Links
http://tutorial.gst.gov.in/faq/#t=Goods_and_Services_Tax_FAQ_Tutorial_Pipepline.htm
(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of VendorBazaar.net)
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