To provide relief to businesses grappling with the economic impact of COVID 19, the Government has come up with various relaxations for GST compliances. Here are a few important announcements from our government. In a major move towards taxpayer facilitation, the government has allowed SMS filing of NIL GST statement in Form GSTR-1 from the first week of July. This similar facility to file NIL monthly GSTR-3B return through SMS has already been allowed since June 8th, 2020. Now the taxpayers with NIL liability need not log on to the GST Portal and can file their NIL statement in Form GSTR-1 and Form GSTR-3B through an SMS. The status confirmation of the filed statement or return application can be tracked on the GST Portal by logging into their GSTIN account. Waiver or reduction of late fee for Form GSTR-3B and GSTR-1 the details have been given in the table below and are subject to fulfillment of prescribed conditions. This relief is for all class of normal taxpayers.
Form GSTR – 3B: Waiver of late fees for delay in filing Form GSTR-3B, subject to the returns are filed before 30th September 2020.
| Sr.No | Type | Maximum Late fees | Deadline to avail benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Other than NIL Return | Maximum late fees of Rs.250 each under CGST and SGST/UTGST per return period | To avail, this benefit one has to file returns before 30th September 2020 |
| 2 | NIL Return | No late fees |
Form GSTR-1: Waiver of late fees for delay in filing Form GSTR-1, subject to following due dates
| Month / Quarter | No Late Fee if GSTR-1 is furnished by |
|---|---|
| March 2020 | July 10 th, 2020 |
| April 2020 | July 24 th, 2020 |
| May 2020 | July 28 th, 2020 |
| June 2020 | August 5 th, 2020 |
| January to March 2020 | July 17 th, 2020 |
| April to June 2020 | August 3 rd, 2020 |
Extension of time period for revocation of Cancelled GST Registration: Application for revocation can be made within a period of 30 days. It has been clarified that for the purpose of calculating the period of 30 days for registered persons (who were served notice and where cancellation order was passed on or before 12 June 2020), later of the following dates shall be considered: − Date of service of the said cancellation order; or − 31 August 2020.
If there are any non-compliances or delay in compliances in terms of filing of GST Returns or due to non-compliances if the GST Registration has got canceled, then the taxpayers can take benefit of the above relaxations and become a compliant taxpayer. This will help them to be stress-free and focus on their core business activities. Indeed an effective move by the government in aiding taxpayers who already burden with this extraordinary situation of a global pandemic.
