After strong resentment among traders over a special drive to detect fake GST registrations, deputy commissioner-cum-excise and taxation commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh on Tuesday assured that the process will be limited to physical verification only and not in any way be an inspection of business premises of the taxpayers.

The drive is part of the special two-month nationwide drive launched by central and state GST departments from May 16 to July 15 to detect suspicious and fake GST registrations to weed out fake billers from the GST ecosystem and to safeguard government revenue.

The UT excise and taxation department has started the drive to identify fraudulent taxpayers who are engaged in passing of fake Input Tax Credit (ITC). Physical verification of business premises of the taxpayers to verify the genuineness of registrations is being done.

“Action will only be initiated against non-functional and bogus taxpayers who are not found at their principal place of business and indulging in fake transactions. Action will be taken as per the provisions of GST law against such bogus/fake taxpayers,” the commissioner said.

Genuine taxpayers don’t need to panic about this drive and should ensure that all GST compliances are being followed by them. He requested all taxpayers to extend their cooperation in weeding out bogus/fake taxpayers.

A delegation of the Chandigarh Beopar Mandal (CBM) had recently called on additional excise and taxation commissioner (AETC) Alok Passi over apprehension of the trading community about likely harassment of traders if a door-to-door survey was conducted by the GST department.

CBM president Charanjiv Singh had appealed to pursue such surveys only on the basis of some substantial inputs rather than door-to-door visits by taxation officials.

The officer had assured the delegation that primary focus of the department will be on identifying any fake GST registration by bogus identities and at bogus addresses.

Source: Hindustan Times 
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/chandigarh-news/ut-excise-commissioner-assures-traders-of-limited-physical-verification-in-special-drive-to-detect-fake-gst-registrations-101684870285115.html