GST Council can look at hiking filing threshold beyond Rs 5 cr
New Delhi, July 23 : The GST Council could consider raising the threshold for quarterly filing of returns and monthly tax payments to above the Rs 5 crore turnover decided last week in order to facilitate smaller businesses to grow, acting Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said on Monday.
Besides approving rate reductions for 88 consumer items, the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council, at its 28th meeting here on Saturday, announced quarterly return-filing and monthly tax payments for businesses with annual turnover of up to Rs 5 crore as against the current threshold of Rs 1.5 crore.
This move will benefit 93 per cent of registered GST taxpayers, while only 7 per cent of them will be filing monthly returns, Goyal said at a convention here organised by the Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT).
"The GST Council decided to raise the threshold to Rs 5 crore so that businesses that go over Rs 1.5 crore turnover do not face taxation hassles," Goyal said.
"I want trade and business to grow and flourish. If their business goes above Rs 5 crore, we are prepared to raise the limit even further," he said.
He also said that the simplified return forms approved by the Council required the assessee to only file the sales data and the amount of tax and input tax credit would be automatically indicated by the system.
The implementation of the revamped return filing process would take some time as corresponding changes would have to be made in the GST Network (GSTN), the Minister added.
The GST rate reductions and clarifications by the Council on Saturday will come into effect from July 27.
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Surjewala slams Pratap Simha’s ‘vile’ remarks on CM Siddaramaiah, demands apology from BJP
Bengaluru (PTI): Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the BJP over alleged disparaging remarks made by former Mysuru-Kodagu MP Pratap Simha against Chief Minister Siddaramaiah during an assembly bypoll campaign in Bagalkote.
Simha made the remarks while campaigning for BJP candidate Veerabhadrayya Charantimath, triggering a political row ahead of the by-elections scheduled for April 9.
Congress has fielded Umesh Meti, son of former MLA late M Y Meti, whose death necessitated the bye-election.
"Pratap Simha's vile remarks about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah in Bagalkot have exposed the BJP's despicable politics once again," Surjewala said in a social media post.
Alleging a larger political design, he added, "It is increasingly evident that Pratap Simha’s outburst is driven by desperation," and accused the BJP of using such remarks to target backward classes, Scheduled Castes, and minorities.
The Rajya Sabha member further claimed that the incident reflects a pattern within the party. "This is not one man's madness—it is the BJP’s political culture," he said, adding that the remarks were aimed at "denigrating leaders from marginalised communities".
Referring to past incidents, Surjewala said, "CM Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar have received death threats in the past, including one from BJP leaders who warned that their bodies would be stuffed into a refrigerator."
The Congress leader also criticised the BJP’s bypoll campaign strategy, alleging "internal contradictions".
He pointed to the party’s use of expelled MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal in campaigning despite earlier disciplinary action against him, accusing the BJP of resorting to "abuses and indignities" against opposition leaders.
Surjewala demanded immediate action from the BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP national president Nitin Nabin, state president B Y Vijayendra, and Leader of Opposition R Ashoka.
He said they must tender a public apology to Kannadigas, particularly to OBCs, SCs, and minorities, over the remarks, and urged the party to expel Simha if it does not repudiate his statements.
Surjewala also called for legal action, demanding that an FIR be registered against Simha and that strict measures be taken.
Warning of "political consequences", he said the electorate in the bypoll-bound constituencies would respond decisively if the BJP failed to apologise, asserting that voters would "teach the BJP a befitting lesson" in the elections.
There has been no immediate reaction from the saffron party yet.
