GST Enrollment is open for taxpayers

Goods and Services tax (GST), which is often known as a historic reform, is now around the corner. After president Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent on September 8, 2016, the Government is firing on all cylinders to implement GST by April 1, 2017. However, the implementation will be little early for the existing tax payers.

The existing taxpayers will have to enroll themselves under the GST database by the end of this month. Goa’s state government has already issued a deadline of November 29, 2016, and asked all the existing tax payers in the state to enroll themselves on www.goacomtax.gov.in.

Image credits - Gokul K

Who all are liable to enroll?

Existing taxpayers are liable to enroll under GST system portal. An existing taxpayer is an entity registered with any of the authorities;

Central Excise

Service Tax

State sales tax/VAT (except exclusive liquor dealers)

Entry tax

Luxury Tax

Entertainment tax

Further enrollment here means validating the data of existing taxpayers and filing up the remaining key fields.

Which is the final date of enrollment?

If you are a taxpayer in Goa, then you should read the notification and get yourself enrolled before November 29, 2016.

For rest of India, the dates have also been announced. The table is as follows:

STATES START DATE END DATE Pondicherry, Sikkim 08/11/2016 23/11/2016 Gujrat, Maharashtra, Goa, Daman and Diu, Dadra Nagar Haveli, Chhattisgarh 14/11/2016 29/11/2016 Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram 30/11/2016 15/12/2016 Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi, Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan 16/12/2016 31/12/2016 Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh 01/01/2017 15/01/2017 Service Tax Registrants 01/01/2017 31/01/2017 Delta All Registrants (All Groups) 01/02/2017 20/03/2017





Procedure for enrollment under GST System Portal

#Point 1 – Paperless procedure: The whole system of enrollment will be paperless; hence, no hard copies shall be entertained by the department. Further, all the aforesaid registered taxpayers will need to visit the GST system portal.

Further, it is mandatory for every person to register if the annual turnover is more than Rs 20 lakh, the exemption limit.

#Point 2 – Provisional ID and password: Before visiting the GST system portal, you must have the provisional ID and password given to you by your concerned state authorities.

In Goa, all the registered taxpayers will have to visit the government office between November 9 and November 11, 2016, to collect sealed envelope containing the provisional ID and password.

The provisional ID format is here as under:

Hence, contact your ward officer to complete the online pre-registration under GST.

#Point 3 – Documents and information required: To complete the registration procedure, you must have the following information:

Provisional ID as explained in point 2.

Password as explained in point 2.

Valid email address (it should not be off professional – Use your own email ID)

Valid mobile number

Bank account number

IFSC code

Further, also carry the following documents which needs to be uploaded on the website:

Proof of constitution of business:

In case of partnership deed – partnership deed (PDF or JPEG in maximum file size of 1 MB).

In case of others: registration certification of the business entity (PDF and JPEG format in maximum file size of 1 MB).

Photograph of promoters/partners/Karta of HUF (JPEG format in maximum file size of 100 KB).

Proof of appointment of authorised signatory (PDF and JPEG format in maximum size of 1 MB).

Photograph of authorised signatory (JPEG format in maximum file size of 100 KB).

Opening page of passbook/statement containing the following information:

Bank account number

Address of branch

Address of account holder

Few transaction details

(PDF and JPEG format in maximum file size of 1 MB).

#Point 4 – Fill information and submit: After you submit the form with all the information and documents, an acknowledgement number will be generated. Save that number for future correspondences.

Here are some points which may help you during enrollment process:

What to do in case I have not received the ID and password?

In case you have not received the provisional ID and password, kindly contact your concerned authorities.

Who can be primary authorised signatory?

A primary authorised signatory is the person who is primarily responsible to perform action on the GST System Portal on behalf of the taxpayer. All communication from the GST System Portal relating to taxpayer will be sent to him.

For example, in case of proprietor, the proprietor himself or any person authorised by him; in case of partnership, any of the partner authorised or any person authorised; in case of Company/LLP, Society, Trust, the person who is authorised by Board or Governing Body, etc., can act as primary authorised signatory. A copy of authorisation needs to be uploaded.

Which details are prefilled in the enrolment application for enrolling with GST?

Following details are auto-populated in the enrolment application based on your existing data:

PAN of the business

Legal name of the business

State

Reason of liability to obtain registration

Email and mobile number

Can I make changes in in my legal name, state name and PAN in the enrolment application?

You cannot make changes to legal name, state name and PAN as appearing in the enrolment application. These details have been migrated from existing tax systems of State or Center, as the case may be.

Conclusion

GST is now a reality and it is far more complex and stringent when it comes to compliance. Enrollment is only a procedural aspect; however, the real game will begin from April 1, 2017. I would recommend all the existing taxpayers or the newcomers to prepare for GST. The penalties concerning it could cost you few lakh even for a small mistake.

Hence, lay down your strategy in advance and go and win the world.

Important Links

http://tutorial.gst.gov.in/faq/#t=Goods_and_Services_Tax_FAQ_Tutorial_Pipepline.htm

(Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of YourStory.)