GST anti-profiteering complaints to be taken up by CCI from December

GST anti-profiteering complaints to be taken up by CCI from December

The Authority was set up to ensure that a reduction in the rate of tax or the benefit of the input tax credit was passed to the recipient

The Goods and Services Tax Council has announced that from 01 December 2022, the Goods & Services Tax (GST) anti-profiteering complaints would be dealt with by the Competition Commission of India (CCI). The extended tenure of the National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) ends this month.

After the implementation of the GST law on 01 July 2017, NAA came into existence on 30 November 2017 and BN Sharma assumed charge as the chairman.

Constituted under the Central Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017, the purpose of the central government was to analyze whether the Income Tax Credit (ITC) availed by any registered person or the reduction in the tax was passed onto the consumer. And whether the person was protected from the random price increase for self-interest in the name of GST.

Until May 2022, NAA passed 67 orders in various cases.

At its 35th meeting in June, the Council under finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had given NAA an extension of one year till 30 November 2020. It was because the authority continued to receive complaints of profiteering by companies.

Henceforth, the Directorate General of Anti-profiteering (DGAP) will handle all investigations based on complaints filed by the consumers. Thereafter, the reports will be submitted to the CCI.

As per the GST law, a three-tier structure was set up for the investigation and adjudication of the profiteering complaints. It is expected that a separate wing will be set up in CCI to handle complaints relating to GST profiteering.