Assam Cabinet Committee Holds GST Consultative Meeting with Business Associations in Tezpur

Tezpur: Following the decision of the state government’s cabinet meeting, a cabinet committee comprising Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Ashok Singhal and Finance Minister Ajanta Neog held a meeting today at the Tezpur Convention Centre. The meeting focused on the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and involved trade and business associations from several districts of Central Assam. This was the third regional consultative meeting on GST to be held in various locations across the state. 

During the meeting, representatives of the trade associations informed the ministers about various challenges they face under the GST framework, particularly regarding notifications and the simplification of tax payment procedures. They also provided various suggestions for improvement. In his speech, Minister Singhal emphasised that protecting the interests of taxpayers is always a priority for the current government. He reassured that the state government is committed to addressing the difficulties faced by business people, including issues related to tax payment, in an effective manner.

Minister Singhal highlighted that GST was introduced under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the benefit of the business community. He stressed that to elevate Assam to one of the top five states in the country, it is essential to work in collaboration with businesspeople. He mentioned that Assam is the first state in the country to undertake cabinet-level discussions with trade and business associations at the grassroots level, under the special initiative of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Minister Singhal acknowledged the valuable contributions of the business community in nation-building and commended the business communities of the participating districts for their important feedback and suggestions.

It is noteworthy that, to alleviate the concerns of businesspeople regarding notifications under the GST framework, further discussions will be held in Tinsukia, Sivasagar, Jorhat, and Silchar. Within a month, Ministers Ashok Singhal and Ajanta Neog will submit a report on these discussions.

MLAs Prithiraj Rava, Pramod Barthakur, Ganesh Limbu, and Krishna Kamal Tanti, along with State Chief Tax Commissioner Pallab Gopal Jha and other officials of the department, Representatives from the trade and business associations of Tezpur, Dhekiajuli, Biswanath Chariali, Nagaon, Hojai, and Morigaon were also present.

Following the meeting, the cabinet committee, comprising Ministers Singhal and Neog, also convened a meeting with the Deputy Commissioners of the Tax Department. They reviewed the role of tax officials and the challenges they face regarding notifications issued under GST. The ministers urged the deputy commissioners to work empathetically with businesspeople to help alleviate the difficulties caused by these notifications under GST.

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