Govt provides relief in GST timelines to businesses hit by Covid-19

The Ministry of Finance has announced changes in compliance requirements under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime to provide relief to businesses affected by Covid-19. The reliefs include an extension of the GST return filing deadline, a reduced late fee amount, and even a late fee waiver in some cases These changes have been made in response to the GST Council's recommendations. Businesses with an aggregated turnover of over Rs 5 crore in the previous financial year will be exempt from paying a late fee if they fail to file their GSTR-3B returns within 15 days of the due date in March and April. The late fee is waived for businesses with an aggregate turnover of up to Rs 5 crore for up to 30 days of late payment during the two months. The 30-day window applies to taxpayers with an aggregate turnover of up to Rs 5 crore for the January-March 2021 period. The deadline to file a return in Form GSTR-4 under the Central Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017, for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2021, has been pushed back a month to May 31, 2021. The government has also extended the deadline for submitting the Form GST ITC-04 declaration in regards to goods dispatched to or received from a job worker from January 1 to March 31, 2021, to May 31, 2021. While the time limit for furnishing the details of outward supplies for the April 2021 tax period, in Form GSTR-1 has been extended till May 26, the government notification informed that businesses could file returns in Form GSTR-3B cumulatively for the period April and May, with the cumulative adjustment of the input tax credit. Details of April will have to be furnished by May 28. Image Source Also read: Covid-19 second wave: State govts offer assistance to construction workers