GST: Telcos can carry forward unavailed Cenvat credit

New Delhi: The Finance Ministry today said telecom companies will be permitted to carry forward unavailed Cenvat credit to the GST regime, giving a major relief to the operators already battling high debt.

The Revenue Department through a notification has amended the Cenvat Credit Rules, 2004, to enable service recipients to carry forward such unavailed credit of Service Tax under the GST regime. "As a result, telecom service providers who have been allotted spectrum in auction conducted in 2016 and have already availed one-third credit in respect of Service Tax paid by them, during 2016-17, would be eligible to take the remaining two-thirds credit pertaining to 2016-17 in the GST regime," a Finance Ministry statement said.

The government proposes to roll out the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from July 1. GST will subsume excise, service tax, VAT and other local levies.