GST Notices : What is Notice & Types of Notices
GST Notices can be of many types- Show cause notice, Demand notice and scrutiny notice to mention a few. This article is an overview of all types of notices under GST and the options available for the taxpayer.
What is Notice under GST
Notices under GST are communications by the GST Authorities. These are sent to the taxpayers specifically to remind or caution them of any defaults being noticed, specifically for not following the GST laws. In other cases, notices can be sent out just to collect more information from the taxpayer. Few cases where tax authorities send out notices are – where any movement of goods/ provision of services occurs without coming under tax lens or taxpayers operate suspiciously. GST authorities act based on any hints collected on verifying the taxpayer’s GST Returns or received from another Government department or from any third parties . A notice can be called by different names like show cause notice (SCN), scrutiny notice or the demand notices, depending upon each case- the purpose or gravity of default or action required from the taxpayer. The common grounds for receiving notices under GST are lapses on the part of the taxpayers such as not registering under GST when otherwise required under law, non-filing or any delay in filing of GST returns, non-payment of GST or short payment of GST, excess Input tax credit claims, etc. A taxpayer must promptly act or reply to notices within the time limit specified in such notice. Any failure to do so can land the taxpayer in a legal soup. In such eventuality, the authorities can proceed to prosecution or consider that as a willful default and charge penalty.
21st December 2021
The officer can issue notice u/s 74 to multiple persons for tax short paid or excess ITC claims by fraud. Now, it is amended that the officer can confiscate and seize goods or vehicles even after concluding proceedings against all persons liable to pay specific or general penalties.
1st February 2021
Union Budget 2021:
1. Seizure and confiscation of goods and conveyances in transit are now made as a separate proceeding from the recovery of tax from Section 74.
2. Self-assessed tax referred to under section 75 of the CGST Act shall also cover the outward supplies/sales as reported in GSTR-1 under section 37 of the CGST Act but which has been missed out while reporting in GSTR-3B under section 39.
3. The provisional attachment shall remain valid for the entire period starting from the initiation of any proceeding till the expiry of a period of one year from the date of the order made thereunder.