The finance ministry has sought a report from GSTN, the IT-backbone provider for GST, on glitches in the system that derailed the anti-tax evasion electronic way bill system on the very first day of launch.
It wants GST-Network to detail system readiness before re-introducing the requirement for transporters to carry an electronic waybill or e-way bill for moving goods between states.
The e-way bill provision of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was introduced on 1.2.2018 but its implementation has beenput on hold after system developed glitches in generating permits.
The government is very clear that there is no going back on e-way bill, which is a tool for preventing tax evasion, and it will be reintroduced in “next few weeks” after the system is fully ready. Under GST, e-way bill is an electronic way bill required for movement of goods more than Rs 50,000 in value and can be generated on the GSTN.
The e-way bill portal has been developed by the National Informatics Centre (NIC) and its implementation is being looked after by GSTN, the company which developed the IT backbone for the new indirect tax regime.
The e-way bill system was rolled out after GSTN conducted trial runs for a fortnight. However, it could not sustain the load and businesses faced difficulties on the rollout day. Following complaints, the government deferred its implementation.