Government Rejigs Indirect Tax Body For GST Rollout

The government has restructured and renamed its indirect tax body as it pushes to roll out the Goods and Services Tax by July.

The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), part of the Department of Revenue in the finance ministry, will now be called Central Board of Indirect Taxes (CBIC). The reorganised body will assist the government in framing policy for GST, central excise levy and customs, a statement from the finance ministry said.

GST will subsume a number of levies on goods and services like excise, VAT and service tax — charged by state and Central governments.

CBIC will have…

• 21 Zones
• 101 GST Taxpayer Services Commissionerates
• 15 Sub-Commissionerates
• 768 Divisions
• 3,969 Ranges
• 49 Audit Commissionerates
• 50 Appeals Commissionerates

A Finance Ministry Statement

This will be the indirect tax administration structure with a pan-India presence, the release said.

The CBEC’s Directorate General of Systems will be strengthened for a robust information technology network, it said. The directorate is being expanded to facilitate smooth transition to GST, the release said.

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