Key Enhancements and Bug Fixes on the GST Portal: January 2019
This article details the significant updates rolled out on the GST portal in January 2019, focusing on improved functionalities and technical resolutions. Key changes include streamlined registration processes for various taxpayer types, new features for composition scheme taxpayers to respond to official notices, and enhancements to the e-payment system. Additionally, several technical defects impacting both taxpayers and tax officials were successfully resolved, aiming to provide a smoother user experience.
Several new features have been introduced on the GST portal to improve functionality and user experience.
Registration Updates
- Normal, OIDAR, and NRTP taxpayers are no longer required to provide bank details when submitting their initial registration application.
- These taxpayers can update their bank information later through a non-core amendment to their registration application. The system for non-core amendments for GST Practitioners (GSTPs) has been updated to reflect these changes.
- Additionally, GST Practitioners now have a dedicated facility on the GST Portal to file non-core amendments to their own registrations.
Composition Scheme Enhancements
A new option allows composition scheme taxpayers to respond to Show Cause Notices (SCNs) for mandatory withdrawal from the scheme. If a tax official initiates proceedings for compulsory withdrawal, the taxpayer can now submit their reply directly on the GST Portal.
Payment System Improvements
The e-Payment facility on the GST Portal now offers a preferred list of banks:
- Taxpayers will see up to six preferred banks when making e-payments.
- The first bank selected by a taxpayer for payment will automatically be added to their preferred banks list.
- Subsequent payments made using different banks will also update this list.
- If a taxpayer already has six preferred banks and uses a seventh, the new bank will be added, and the least frequently used bank will be removed.
- Taxpayers can also remove any bank from their preferred list at any time.
Technical Issue Resolutions
Several technical glitches have been addressed:
- Registration for Taxpayers:
- The error message displayed when taxpayers attempted to retrieve their username using the "forgot username" feature (especially after an authorized signatory change by tax officials) has been corrected.
- First-time login error messages have been improved; instead of "invalid username or password," the portal will now show "enter valid username."
- Registration for Tax Officials:
- An error preventing Tax Officials in Model I States from retrieving taxpayer ledger data (from registration date to approval date) has been resolved.
- An issue that stopped Tax Officials in Model I States from changing authorized signatories for canceled taxpayers has been fixed, allowing them to perform this update.
- Errors encountered by Tax Officials in Model I States when using the "get Taxpayer Details" functionality have been rectified.
- Problems with suo moto applications and revocation applications not appearing on the tax official dashboard due to pending task count mismatches have been resolved.