GSTN, or the GST Network is the backbone of GST in India. GST is completely driven by and dependent on technology but still the main component i.e. GSTN is unable to bear the burden that comes along with 85 Lakh taxpayers of India.
GST requires tax payers to upload their invoices on a regular basis.
This updation has to be done on GSTN. Besides, there are a number of returns to be filed.. specially while transition phase.
But the whole process is giving sleepless nights to tax payers and tax professionals.. as GSTN is unable to keep pace with the millions of invoices and returns being filed electronically by businesses across the country.
For a country that takes pride in its IT edge, a failure on its tax structure’s IT component comes off as a rude shock.
The technical glitches have led Government to extend the deadline for filing GST returns for July, TWICE.
The biggest indirect tax overhaul is off to a less than desirable start as the GSTN isn’t working properly even in the first month.
Even as govt keeps reiterating tax payers not to wait till last day to file their returns, those filing returns well in time also have to struggle to please the GSTN lord.
It is clear that GSTN was not tested for glitches and faults before making it available for public use.
As a corrective measure, a ministerial group formed by the GST Council to resolve problems related to GSTN gave an assurance that 80% of the problems would be fixed by the end of October.
But we know how assurances made by politicians in India works, so we already do not have high hopes from them.
Several revisions in deadlines, tax and cess rates, rules, clarifications and tweaks later, the GST regime is turning out to be neither simple nor friendly.