GST Lacuna : Department’s fault
This is looting, and thanks to the department handling the GST, for the reasons given below :
It has been stressed that 17 Taxes and 23 Cess have been discontinued to have a single GST. Great. But the people who had been handling these 40 types are all not required for the single GST, especially when it is done through online operations.
These people should be made into a vigilance team having a centralized command office with at least one mobile phone available for the office use.
Each person can moveout in the areas not earlier covered by him for the tax/cess he/she had been handling, and without disclosing the identity, should purchase an item or two, get the hand written cash memo for the amount charged, take a snap on his own mobile, send it to the centralized office mobile number, and then disclose his/her identity to ask for the explanation.
I may be wrong, but in my opinion, such traders also avoid declaring their true income and hence do not pay the Income Tax. But if the GST application is made correctly with proper vigilance, the traders so caught shall also are likely to come under Income Tax net.
If I can think this, many others would have thought it. Then why has this not being done, and why a common citizen is made to exorbitant prices.
Make these Tax/Cess officer responsible by giving them targets to find such traders, and not only the Tax collection for GST, but also for Income Tax shall go up, as the snap received at the centralized office can commence separate investigation. more