Government of India
Ministry of Finance
Department of Revenue
Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs
North Block, New Delhi-110 001
Tel. : +91-11-23092849, Fax : +91-11-23092890
E-mail : vivekjohri.irs@gov.in
04th July, 2022
DO No. 31/CH(IC)/2022
Last week, marked five years of the introduction of the Goods & Services Tax (GST). It’s been quite a journey. When I started out in the Department as a young Assistant Commissioner, MODVAT – the first step to convert Central Excise into a VAT type tax – had just been introduced; as I grew older, I witnessed the introduction of Service Tax and its rapid growth, now I feel I am growing younger with GST!
Many of the distortions and imperfections of the previous tax regime such as a fractured tax base for indirect taxes; cascading of taxes; multiplicity of taxes and rates and heavy compliance burden were substantially addressed with the introduction of GST. Even though the learning curve was steep, both for businesses and tax departments, the regime has eventually stabilized owing to the responsiveness of the GST Council, adoption of technology using a common platform viz. Goods & Service Tax Network (GSTN) the IGST model for inter-state transactions and extensive outreach and capacity building.
I was choking with emotion and pride when the Hon’ble Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs graciously acknowledged and deeply appreciated the hard work done by each one of you in the CBIC family in successfully implementing this major reform especially during the tough period of the COVID pandemic. During the Pandemic, when the nation needed resources, it was the taxman who was standing true to his duty.
Such heartfelt praise from our top leadership casts a very huge responsibility on us to continue to attain even higher goals in shoring up revenues while serving the taxpayer better. Let us dedicate ourselves to this with even greater vigour!
The 5th GST Day Celebrations also featured thematic presentations by representatives of five Trade Bodies on GST related topics such as the impact of GST on Inter-State Trade, MSMEs, Exports, Procedural Simplification and Digitization and Formalization. My Congratulations to Pr. Chief Commissioner, CGST, Mumbai; Pr. Chief Commissioner, CGST,
Chennai; Chief Commissioner, CGST, Bhopal; Chief Commissioner, CGST, Kolkata and CEO, Goods & Services Tax (GSTN) for mentoring the groups and coming up with insightful presentations.
I would also like to acknowledge Member (IT, Taxpayer Services & Technology) and his team especially the Directorate General Taxpayer Services (DGTS) as well as the Pr. Chief Commissioner, CGST Delhi and her team for their excellent co-ordination and hard work in curating a wonderful event. The officers of DGTS deserve a very big applause for an effective social media campaign in the run-up to the fifth anniversary of GST; the production of a very creative film on the journey of GST and the publication of a handy compilation on the subject. They delivered on these goals with very tight timelines.
Last week also saw the City Beautiful – Chandigarh, host the GST Council for its 47th Meeting. The two day meeting deliberated on a wide spectrum of issues and number of decisions, on both rates as well as procedures were taken. You may like to familiarize yourself with the same and where required, suitably guide members of the Trade.
Recently, the National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes and Narcotics (NACIN), Faridabad organized a Workshop and Conference on Content Creation for the Integrated Government Online Training (iGOT) platform, a comprehensive resource that enables online, face-to-face and blended learning and manages lifelong capacity building for Government officials.
The workshop was followed by a Conference of Pr. ADGs/ADGs of NACIN. This year, the Conference was held in a physical mode after a two year hiatus. Member (Administration), CBIC as well as members of the Capacity Building Commission (CBC) chaired various sessions which delved into a range of issues related to the capacity building and future learning imperatives for the Department. I would like to place on record my appreciation for Pr. Director General, National Academy of Customs, Indirect Taxes and Narcotics (NACIN) for taking the initiative in organizing this workshop.
Last week, Delhi Customs Zone inaugurated an X-ray Baggage Scanning System at the ICD Tughlakabad Export Commissionerate. The system would go a long way in faster processing of Baggage as well as help ensure compliance. Congratulations to Chief Commissioner, Delhi Customs Zone and his team for this initiative. I would urge field formations to work on suitably procuring and deploying technological solutions for improving our working.
The week also saw us bid farewell to two of our senior colleagues, Sh. Pradeep Kumar Goel and Sh. Shyam Raj Prasad, both from the 1988 Batch who superannuated after putting in 34 years of service. On behalf of the Department and on my personal behalf, my sincere thanks to them for their outstanding service and best wishes for their second innings.
Till next week!
Yours Sincerely,
(Vivek Johri)
All Officers and Staff of Central Board of Indirect Taxes & Customs
