National Anti-profiteering Authority’s tenure could be extended

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
May 16, 2019

India’s goods and services tax regulatory framework, the National Anti-profiteering Authority, could see its tenure extended for a further two years as the government plans to make more changes to the GST.

The NAA was originally designed to operate for the first two years after the implementation of the GST but the government is now considering extending its tenure for a further two years as changes continue to be made to the tax system and complaints fail to abate, ET Bureau reported. The government expects to reach a decision on whether or not to continue the NAA after the ongoing general election which will conclude on May 23.

“There is a thinking that the National Anti-profiteering Authority’s tenure be extended,” a government source told ET Bureau. The source mentioned that there are still some issues that need to be resolved and the NAA is still receiving a sizeable number of complaints about GST profiteering. 

The NAA has also not yet fixed the definition of GST profiteering and this has led to complaints from businesses that they do not know where they stand. The government is also considering revising the current four GST brackets which would create a need for the NAA to ensure businesses correctly handle any rate changes. 

The  NAA was created to protect consumers from GST profiteering and the authority handles complaints on the matter after they have passed through the relevant state-level screening committee and national standing committee. Launched in July 2017, the NAA checks that businesses pass on any GST rate cuts to consumers and fines them if they do not.