GST council meeting today: Punjab to oppose inadequate representation from states in GSTAT

Though states’ GSTATs would hear complaints regarding SGST, only chief secretaries of states are members of the state appellate tribunals, the rest of the members being dignitaries of prominence. “We have an objection. Why should there be just one member when the complaints will be regarding the state’s GST? We will raise it in the GST council meeting today. This is taking away the rights of the states. They should be given more rights. This will be our line,” a government functionary said.

He added that the state government was also seeking more rights to the state on preventing evasion of GST. “For the states where GST was evaded on gold, e-billing has been made mandatory. Punjab’s steel industry is based on scrap. E-billing own scrap should also be made mandatory. We will raise this also.”

The last GST Council meeting was held on June 28-29. At the meeting, Sitharaman is likely to raise the issue of GST compensation which has been stopped. A fund-crunched Punjab has to scrape the barrel to pay its liabilities and it has been depending on borrowings.