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Eyebrows were raised when, on May 20, the Kerala Goods and Services Tax (GST) Department began a six-day residential training session for its 200-odd staff at a five-star property in Kochi. The government had sanctioned Rs 46.65 lakh for the training, and Rs 38.10 lakh was used up for accommodation alone. Such extravagance, by a wing of the Finance Department itself at a time of intense fiscal distress, was seen as odd.

The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) is set to intensify the scrutiny of suspected tax evasion by pharmaceutical companies, over non-payment of dues. In addition to the notices sent already, the DGGI is likely to ask many more companies to explain what it perceives as under-payment of tax by them in the current year, FE has learned. The notices could pertain to non-payment of GST on brand transfer sales, claiming fake input tax credit (ITC) on expired drugs and for business support services, and non-payment under the reverse charge mechanism, according to official sources.

GST Council meeting: The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council may refer the issue of GST rates on cigarettes, and bidis to the Rate Rationalisation Committee to notify the maximum tax rate of 20% under CGST and 20% under SGST from the current 28%, sources told Business Today on Tuesday. Last week, the Centre declared the next Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council on June 22, eight-and-a-half months after its last meeting. Though the meeting's agenda is not known yet, state Finance Ministers are expected to propose changes to the indirect tax system for the upcoming Union Budget during the forthcoming meeting.

Over 100 million e-way bills or electronic permits were raised for shipment of goods within and across states in June, indicating strong manufacturing activity in the last month of the first quarter of 2024-25. It is the fourth time that e-way bill generation has crossed the 100-million mark. The country saw 103.1 million e-way bills in May and a record 103.5 million e-way bills in March. Last year, it surged past 100 million in October, according to data from the Goods and Services Tax Network, or GSTN, the company that processes GST return forms. In June 2023, the number stood at 86 million.