Make life easier for honest taxpayers, provide no comfort to dishonest ones: FM tells GST officers
GST
Dated:- 24-10-2025
PTI
Ghaziabad, Oct 24 (PTI) Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday asked GST officers to be polite and make life easier for honest taxpayers, but deal firmly with dishonest ones.
Speaking at the CGST building inauguration here, the minister flagged the need for “timely conclusion” of disciplinary proceedings against officers, and said by doing so the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) would send a clear message that misconduct, dereliction of duty or unethical behaviour will not be tolerated.
Asking field officers to use technology for faster registration approvals and grievance redressal, Sitharaman also tasked them to “proactively” undertake trade facilitation measures. “There is no iron wall between you and trader, there is thin air. You can understand where the difficulty is, rather than muddying it up any further.” She s
= = = = = = = =
Plain text (Extract) only
For full text:-Visit the Source
= = = = = = = =
col or SoP.
On the issue of disciplinary proceedings against departmental officers, Sitharaman said swift conclusion of such proceedings reinforces accountability within the organization.
“Prolonged proceedings unfairly affect the morale and reputation of the officers involved – particularly the innocent. For those wrongfully accused, early closure brings relief and restoration of dignity. The Motto for disciplinary matters should be: Galat kiya hai toh khair nahi, sahi kiya hai toh koi bair nahi (If you do wrong, you won't be forgiven, if you are right, there would be no ill feeling against you),” Sitharaman said.
The minister also nudged Goods and Services Tax (GST) officers to make use of technology to reduce the compliance burden on taxpayer seeking GST registration.
“Technology and risk-based parameters must do the heavy lifting and not the taxpayer. We do not want anybody from the field formation adding one little more burden or onus on the taxpayer. Technology should be
= = = = = = = =
Plain text (Extract) only
For full text:-Visit the Source
= = = = = = = =
ld formation is to operationalise it without friction,” Sitharaman said.
She also said that GST Seva Kendra across India should be well-staffed, accessible and properly maintained, so that taxpayers receive timely and quality assistance. There must be a dedicated helpdesk for GST registrations to facilitate the taxpayers in the application process. “Field units must conduct an internal audit of the functioning of the GST Seva Kendras and take action on the shortcomings faced by the taxpayers,” Sitharaman said.
Quoting Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) data on festive retail sales and e-commerce transaction which show there has been a boom in sale of goods and services after GST rates were slashed effective September 22, Sitharaman said: “What do these numbers tell us? They tell us that our economic policies including the recent GST rate rationalization – is having a meaningful impact.” Effective September 22, next-generation GST reform was implemented under which it becam
= = = = = = = =
Plain text (Extract) only
For full text:-Visit the Source
= = = = = = = =