Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman asks officials to improve refund, registration of GST

File photo: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman (Picture credit: ANI) NEW DELHI: Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday asked senior tax officials to prepare plans to improve parameters for GST registration, refund processing, and grievance redressal.During an interaction with senior officials under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs, FM also asked officials to speed up processing of GST and customs refunds, as well as reduce dwell time at ports, airports, and inland container depots for import and export consignments. She noted that faster cargo clearance is crucial to enhancing India’s global trade competitiveness.FM also called for the speedy closure of investigations and sought a detailed analysis of detection and recovery so that gap between the two can be reduced. “At the same time, the finance minister emphasised the need for preventing tax evasion and wrongful input tax credits claims,” said an official statement after FM’s meeting with principal chief commissioners and directors general of CBIC. She asked for the GST registration process to be made “easier, seamless, and more transparent” through use of technology and risk-based parameters. To reduce registration-related rejections and delays, she also suggested an outreach campaign.Emphasising taxpayer trust, she called for a targeted and sustained focus on grievance redressal, ensuring the timely resolution of queries and complaints through improved systems and accountability. Taking note of pending disciplinary matters, the minister directed that disciplinary proceedings against the officials at different levels be concluded expeditiously in a time-bound manner.CBIC was also asked to fill all vacant posts at the earliest across various levels to strengthen field formations and enhance administrative efficiency.