Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday called for making the GST registration process easier, seamless, and more transparent for taxpayers, with the use of technology and risk-based parameters. She emphasised the need to prevent tax evasion and wrongful Input Tax Credits (ITC) claims.

Sitharaman was chairing the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) Conclave with the Principal Chief Commissioners, Chief Commissioners and Director Generals of the field formations. “The Union Finance Minister directed the zones to prepare an action plan to improve upon various parameters such as GST registration, processing of refunds, and handling taxpayers’ grievances,” a statement issued by the Finance Ministry after the conclave said.

As on date, there total number of registered GST payers is 1.52 crore. However, there is a feeling that a large number of businesses, especially in the unorganised sector, are yet to be registered.

Awareness measures

Sitharaman directed the CGST formations to launch targeted awareness campaigns among taxpayers, trade associations, and industry bodies regarding the mandatory documentation required for GST registration, particularly those related to the principal place of business. This, the Union Finance Minister emphasised, would help reduce rejections and delays in registration and enable faster processing of applications. “She also directed CGST Zonal Heads to have a dedicated helpdesk for GST registrations to facilitate the taxpayers in the application process,” the statement said.

The Minister highlighted the need to ensure that GST Seva Kendras and Customs Turant Suvidha Kendras are well-staffed, accessible, and properly maintained, so that taxpayers receive timely and quality assistance. Emphasising taxpayer trust, the Union Finance Minister called for a targeted and sustained focus on grievance redressal, ensuring the timely resolution of queries and complaints through improved systems and accountability.

Sitharaman also called for the speedy closure of investigations for Customs & CGST cases, and exhorted for an analysis on detection and recovery and to seek solutions to reduce the gap between detection and recovery. At the same time, the Union Finance Minister emphasised the need for preventing tax evasion and wrongful Input Tax Credits (ITC) claims.

Fill vacancies

The CBIC was urged by the Minister to expedite the processing of GST and Customs refunds to ensure timely redressal and ease of doing business, especially for MSMEs and exporters.

Taking note of pending disciplinary matters, Sitharaman directed that disciplinary proceedings against the officials at different levels be concluded expeditiously in a time-bound manner. The CBIC was also urged to fill all vacant posts at the earliest, across various levels, to strengthen field formations and enhance administrative efficiency.

Last year, CBIC reported to a Parliamentary Committee that as on as on September 1, 2024, of the total sanctioned strength (excluding Special Economic Zones) of over 84,000, 52,000 are filled – which means that over 38 per cent posts are vacant.

Pointers

Performance of CBIC

-         Detected GST evasion grew to over ₹2.23 lakh cr  in FY25, with voluntary payments totalling ₹28,909 crore

-         Number of taxpayers repeated for Audit more than once in 3 years is zero.

-         National average for GSTR-3B filing stood at 94.3 per cent in FY 25

-         85 per cent of indirect tax claims processed within the statutory 60-day limit.

-         GST audit coverage rose to 88.74% in FY25 from 62.21% in FY 23

-         Average time for grievance disposal reduced to just 9 days, as compared to stipulated 21-day timeline

-         95 to 97% of CPGRAMS appeals are being disposed of within 30 days

Published on June 20, 2025