GST collection up in Kolkata zone with 127% rise in assessee base

Kolkata, July 1 (IANS) With a 127 per cent increase in assessee base, the Goods and Service Tax (GST) collection in Kolkata zone of the CGST and Central Excise increased substantially and the focus for this year would be on "consolidation" and "ease of compliance", officials said on Sunday.

Amid concerns over delay in disbursement, the GST refund has also been steady, according to officials.

Jurisdiction of Kolkata CGST and central excise comprises Bengal, Sikkim and the Andaman and Nicobar islands.

The number of registered tax assessee increased to over 6.5 lakh under the new indirect tax regime from around 2.86 lakh in the pre-GST regime while total GST collection by the department was Rs 26,550.21 crore during 2017-18, compared to a collection of Rs 24609.42 crore comprising central excise and service tax in the previous year, officials said.

"Considering the negligible collection of taxes in first three months of pre-GST era (April-June) and in July last year, the overall collection was significant. The collection accelerated from August 2017 onwards with the stabilisation of the system and resolving initial issues," said a senior officer of the department.

Devendra Nagvenkar, Commissioner of CGST and Central Excise, North, said that the "focus will be on consolidation and ease of compliance" in the second year of GST regime.

A total of 4,561 refund applications of Rs 385 crore were filed till end of May 2018 and out of that physical copies of 1,542 applications involving around Rs 350 crore were submitted to the CGST department.