Govt helpline receives 3,000 GST-related complaints since tax cuts; CBIC to take action

The government’s National Consumer Helpline (NCH) has received around 3,000 complaints linked to Goods and Services Tax (GST) since the implementation of revised rates, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said on Monday.

"We have so far received 3,000 consumer complaints. We are sending them to the CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs) for further action," Khare told reporters on the sidelines of an event.

The Consumer Affairs Ministry is closely tracking cases where retailers allegedly mislead customers through discounting practices to avoid passing on the benefits of lower GST rates, she said.

The ministry is deploying artificial intelligence and chatbot technology to get a clearer picture of complaints across various sectors, she added.

The complaints mechanism comes amid concerns that businesses may not be fully passing on the benefit of GST rate cuts to consumers.

The revised rates, part of what the government has termed ‘next-gen GST reforms’, took effect on September 22, making several goods and services cheaper.

A stakeholder consultation, chaired by the Consumer Affairs Secretary on September 17, urged industry representatives, including leading e-commerce platforms and consumer goods companies, to ensure the timely pass-through of GST rate cuts to customers.

To address queries and grievances, the ministry has created a dedicated category for GST on the NCH and its Integrated Grievance Redressal Mechanism (INGRAM) portal.

Consumers can now file complaints if sellers do not pass on the benefit of the new tax structure. The new category covers major sub-categories, including automobiles, banking, consumer durables, e-commerce and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), which consumers can select to report overcharging or non-compliance with the new tax rates.

Complaint data and insights will be shared with CBIC and other enforcement agencies for action under relevant laws, the ministry said.