As the GST regime turns a year old, there’s often a niggling doubt: do all GST payouts reach the government? Most consumers pay it anyway, no questions asked. Not many know that a chunk of traders are not supposed to collect GST in the first place.

B Raghu Kiran, a techie turned IRS officer, has developed an app, called GSTVerify, that can quickly tell you whether or not a trader is authorised to collect the tax.

The app uses a database made available to the public by the Union government to answer the queries. All that one needs to do is enter the GST number on the receipt and press ‘enter’. The query is directed to the public database, and pat comes the reply with the trader’s profile.

A BE degree holder in Electronics and Communications from Andhra University, Raghu Kiran moved on to revenue and taxation after he cleared IRS. He realised that technology could be of great help in strengthening consumer rights.

Launched five days days ago, GSTVerify has witnessed 10,000 downloads on Google Play Store. An iOS version will be launched soon. “It has received over 20,000 queries, showing the huge potential for such a solution,” Raghu Kiran, Joint Commissioner (GST), Telangana government, told BusinessLine .

Under the GST regime, composition tax payers should not collect the tax from consumers. There are over 18 lakhs dealers who come under this category. Some errant traders are reportedly collecting GST illegally and holding onto that component, causing losses both to the government and to consumers.

“We are not seeking any personal information. Unlike other developers, we are not interested to know who uses the app. This has helped us keep it very light,” he said.

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