GST Council meeting postponed again, now scheduled for October 8

The 57th meeting of the GST Council has been rescheduled for October 8, the second change in the date of the meeting which is expected to consider a slew of measures to simplify GST compliance and reform the registration and refund mechanism.

According to an office memorandum issued by the GST Council Secretariat on Monday, the meeting will be held from 11 am at the Summit Room, Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

The GST Council Secretariat said the rescheduling was due to "unavoidable circumstances" and conveyed the change to members of the Council.

The meeting was earlier scheduled for October 7.

The 57th GST Council meeting was originally scheduled for September 12 but was postponed to October 7 due to the BRICS Summit, which India hosted in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.

The GST Council, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and comprising state finance ministers, is expected to discuss changes in the registration, returns and refunds mechanisms.

It will also consider policy reforms aimed at resolving GST disputes and improving the flow of input tax credit, with the objective of reducing the time and cost of compliance for businesses.

The Council is likely to consider sweeping process reforms under the GST 2.0 framework, including proposals to decriminalise certain GST offences, review the arrest powers of GST officers and make tax compliance easier for businesses, including e-commerce suppliers, according to a PTI report.

Among the proposals is a plan to allow businesses to apply for GST registration in multiple states through a single application process.

The GST Council is likely to consider a proposal to allow businesses to file for GST registration in multiple states through a single application process and also list out a unified set of documents that tax officers may ask for.

There are currently more than 1.68 crore businesses registered under the Goods and Services Tax.