The government is considering to remove the penal offences which are already covered under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) from the GST Act to make it more taxpayer-friendly, an official said. The proposal, part of the exercise to decriminalise GST law, is likely to be taken up in the next meeting of the GST Council. Once approved by the GST Council, the Finance Ministry will propose amendments to the GST law, which could be taken up in the upcoming winter session of Parliament next month.

“Law committee has finalised the changes in Section 132 of the GST Act as part of the exercise to decriminalise the law,” the official told PTI.

The offences that are similar to those covered under the Indian Penal Code would be removed from GST law, the official added.

The amendments would be placed before the GST Council for approval. Thereafter, it would go to Parliament for effecting changes in the GST Act.

Once approved by Parliament, states would be required to amend their state GST laws.

Also, the act of availing input tax credit using fake invoices could be covered under the offences mentioned in the IPC.

Source: The Economic Times 
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/policy/govt-may-remove-penal-offences-covered-under-ipc-from-gst-law/articleshow/95638119.cms