Odisha Cabinet Okays Amendment To State GST Bill

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Cabinet on Tuesday approved the Finance Department’s proposal to amend the Odisha Goods and Services Tax (OGST) Bill, 2017 and also replace Odisha Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 and Odisha Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2020.

With this approval, 12 sections and paragraph 4 of Schedule II of the OGST Act, 2017 shall be amended and Odisha Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 (Odisha Ordinance 5 of 2020) and Odisha Goods and Services Tax (Second Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 (Odisha Ordinance 6 of 2020) shall be replaced.

The Finance Department had proposed to amend the OGST Act to provide the following facilities to the taxpayers and tax authorities.

—To extend the scope of ineligibility to opt for composition scheme

—To delink the date of issuance of debit note from the date of issuance of the underlying invoice for the purpose of availing input tax credit

—To empower proper officer to allow cancellation of registration of the registered taxpayers who have voluntarily obtained registration under Section 25 (3) of the said Act,

—To grant the power to the Additional or Joint Commissioner to extend the time limit by further 30 days to file an application for revocation of cancellation of registration subject to sufficient cause being shown

—To empower the government to specify the categories of services or supplies in respect of which a tax invoice shall be issued along with time and manner for issuance of such invoice

—To provide that a certificate of TDS issued by the deductor of tax shall be issued in such form as may be prescribed

—To make the beneficiary of the transactions of passing on or availing fraudulent Input Tax Credit liable for penalty similar to the penalty leviable on the person who commits such specified offences

—To extend punishment to a person who causes to commit the offence of availing fraudulent Input Tax Credit and also to a person who retains benefit thereto making such offences a cognizable and non-bailable offence

—To empower the government to prescribe the manner and time limit for ‘taking transitional credit

—To insert a new section 168A to extend due dates for various compliances on the recommendation of GST council during the war, epidemic, flood, drought, fire, cyclone and natural calamities

—To empower the government to make provision for issuance of removal of difficulties order for another two years, i.e. till five years from the date of commencement of the OGST Act, 2017.