A one-day conference on the theme “7 Years of GST – Stakeholders’ Experiences and the Road Ahead” was successfully held at the NDMC Convention Centre in New Delhi. The event saw participation from various stakeholders connected to GST, including traders, MSMEs, industry representatives, and tax professionals. A large number of leaders from prominent trade associations of Delhi were also present. Similar conferences will be jointly organized by the CAIT GST Professional Group in the capital cities of each state to engage stakeholders in discussions on the GST tax system.

The event was jointly organized by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) and the Delhi GST Professionals Group, and was inaugurated by CAIT’s National Secretary General and BJP MP from Delhi, Mr. Praveen Khandelwal. The objective of the conference was to reflect on the journey of GST over the past seven years and discuss the current challenges being faced by stakeholders.

In his keynote address, Mr. Praveen Khandelwal highlighted the remarkable achievements of GST in unifying India’s indirect tax system. He stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi, efforts toward tax system simplification are ongoing. However, he acknowledged that due to various anomalies in GST, traders continue to face numerous issues on a daily basis. He added that in many areas, small traders and entrepreneurs still face barriers to ease of doing business. He expressed gratitude for the open discussions held by professionals and participants and assured that major concerns would be taken up with the Union Finance Minister and relevant government officials.

Conference Convenor Mr. Narendra Ahuja and President Mr. Sushil K. Verma emphasized the need for continuous dialogue between the government and tax professionals to ensure the law benefits honest taxpayers and curbs fraudulent activities.

The key issues raised during the conference included:

Misuse of high assessment and prosecution powers

Difficulties in filing revised or rectified returns

Delays in refunds and GST registrations

Non-establishment of GST Appellate Tribunals

Excessive documentation and lack of training, especially in state GST departments

Arbitrary attachment of bank accounts and impact of PMLA

Speakers unanimously emphasized the need for fair implementation of the law, proper training of officials, and improvement in the appellate mechanism. Concerns were also raised about the delay in justice and its impact on revenue collection due to unnecessary remanding of cases by courts.

The conference concluded on a positive note, with Mr. Khandelwal committing to hold such stakeholder consultations twice a year. He reaffirmed his resolve to escalate these crucial issues at the highest level to bring constructive changes in GST administration.