GoM on GST appellate tribunal recommends key relaxations on recruitments

The group of ministers recommended that bigger states such as Uttar Pradesh can have more than one appellate authority, with a maximum of five such bodies

Published on: Aug 19, 2022, 12:36:43 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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The main bottlenecks in the formation of the GST (goods and services tax) Appellate Tribunal in states and Union Territories may have been done away with after a group of ministers (GoM), chaired by Haryana deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala, recommended that states can relax the experience criteria necessary for the appointment of officers as technical members in the panel.

For representational purposes only. (PTI Photo)

The group also recommended that bigger states such as Uttar Pradesh can have more than one appellate authority, with a maximum of five such bodies.

A GST Appellate Tribunal is a body that has been set up to hear appeals against orders that are passed by the GST Appellate Authority.

The six-member group of ministers, also comprising Odisha finance minister Niranjan Pujari, Andhra Pradesh finance minister Buggana Rajendranath, Goa industries minister Mauvin Godinho, Rajasthan law minister Shanti Kumar Dhariwal and Uttar Pradesh finance minister Suresh Khanna, that met in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday recommended that the section in the Central GST Act, 2017 should be amended to facilitate quicker formation of the appellate tribunals.

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Pujari said that the GoM recommended that Section 110 of the Act be amended with the words “state government” so that the respective authorities can reduce the requirement of 25 years of service in Group A for the appointment of technical members in the tribunals.

“We have recommended that the state governments, on the recommendation of the GST council, may reduce the requirement of 25 years of service in Group A through a notification for such posts,” Pujari said.

The 25-year experience was a major roadblock because in some states, the entry level of direct recruitment is not at the Group A level, resulting in a situation where even the senior-most officer may not have spent that many years in the category.

Pujari said the recommendations will be submitted to the GST Council at the next meeting, likely in September.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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