CAIT demands extension of deadline for GST return

New Delhi: Traders body CAIT on Tuesday demanded extension of deadline for filing final sales returns under the GST regime till month end citing glitches on the GSTN portal.

The deadline for filing GSTR-1 for July-November, 2017, will end on Wednesday. The Finance Ministry had last month extended the due date for filing GSTR-1 from December 31 to January 10.

Sources in GSTN, however, refuted the charge that the GST portal was not working. The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) in a statement claimed that the "GST portal remain hanged most of the time" on Tuesday which made filing of return difficult for businesses.

"In view of the same, the CAIT has demanded Finance Minister Arun Jaitley to extend the date of filing of returns to at least January 30 and in the meantime has also demanded a thorough technology audit of the portal and ensure its normal functioning," it said.

Sources said the the due date for filing GSTR-1 is unlikely to be extended beyond tomorrow. Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) is providing the technology backbone for the implementation of the new indirect tax regime.

GST, which subsumed over a dozen local taxes, and transformed India into a single market was rolled out from July 2017. Businesses with a turnover of up to Rs 1.5 crore have to file GSTR-1 for July-September by Wednesday.

For those with a turnover of more than Rs 1.5 crore, GSTR-1 for the months of July till November too has to be filed by January 10.

The GST Council had in November last year allowed businesses with a turnover of up to Rs 1.5 crore to file final returns GSTR-1 quarterly.