Workshop for traders ahead of GST rollout
Dated 14th December, 2016
Starting December 16, all traders registered with the value-added tax (VAT) department of the Delhi government will have to start enrolling on the GST portal as part of the process to migrate to the new tax regime. All dealers have to register on this portal by December 31. There are around 3.5 lakh dealers registered with the VAT department as of now.
A workshop to help dealers in the migration process will be held at the Delhi Secretariat on Wednesday. Deputy CM Manish Sisodia, who holds the finance portfolio, and senior VAT department officials will also be present.
An order was issued by the department of trade and taxes on December 9 in this regard. The theme of the workshop is "Front-end business on GST portal". The presentation will be given by Prakash Kumar, CEO, Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN). Around 80 trade associations and networks from across Delhi have been invited to participate in the workshop. It is estimated that around 150 members from various trade associations will attend it.
It is learnt that the GSTN is organising these workshops across the country, according to the schedule for a rollout of GST wherein states have been clubbed under different categories.
"The representatives will be expected to pass on the information and the process for enrollment to other trades and assist in the migration process from VAT to GST," an official said. The GST portal seeks to empower the dealers with a complete online experience with no manual interface. Starting from registration, uploading of bills, filing of returns and online tax payment, the entire process will be online.
Once GST comes into effect, VAT will cease to exist except in the case of liquor and five petroleum products, including diesel and petrol. The luxury tax and entertainment tax will be merged under GST. The excise on liquor will continue, along with VAT, even after the GST rollout.
Aam Aadmi Party Trade Wing convener Brijesh Goyal said the workshop was very important as it would facilitate a smooth transition to GST. "For small traders who are still not comfortable with online processes, this training is critical to enable effective transition," Goyal added.
(This article is published in Times of India on 14 December 2016)