GST Composition Scheme: Govt relaxes return filing norms for select businesses; Check eligibility

Businesses opting for composition scheme under GST need not file details of purchases made from their vendors at the time of filing quarterly return GSTR-4.

Under the Composition Scheme of GST for taxpayers of the country, small dealers can get rid of the tedious formalities of GST. (Image: AFP)

GST Composition Scheme: Citing a big relief to the mid-level dealers of the country, the Finance Ministry on Wednesday said that businesses opting for composition scheme under Goods and Services Tax (GST) need not file details of purchases made from their vendors at the time of filing quarterly return GSTR-4. Issuing a clarification statement, the ministry also said that there have been doubts regarding the manner of filing the quarterly return by composition dealers in Form GSTR-4 in the absence of auto-population of the details of inward supplies received from registered suppliers. “In this regard, it is to clarify that the taxpayers who have opted to pay tax under the composition levy shall not furnish the data in serial number 4A of Table 4 of Form GSTR-4,” the statement read further adding that the required changes in the CGST Rules 217 would be notified shortly. Serial number 4A of Table 4 of GSTR-4 form gives details of all the purchases made from GST registered vendors. More than 18 lakh businesses opted for composition scheme, which allows them to pay taxes at a concessional rate and makes compliance easy under the new tax regime which was rolled out on July 1, 2017. Businesses with annual turnover of up to Rs 1 crore can opt for the composition scheme. The last date for filing GST returns for the July-September quarter for such dealers is October 18. Commenting upon the notification, EY Tax Partner Abhishek Jain told news agency PTI, “This clarification would help address the ambiguities which some of the composition dealers had on this disclosure requirement; specifically in the light of the auto-population facility not being available.” Under the Composition Scheme of GST for taxpayers of the country, small dealers can get rid of the tedious formalities of GST and pay their taxes at a fixed rate of turnover. The scheme can be opted by any taxpayer whose annual turnover is less that Rs 1 crore.