Bengal to apply law for speedy refund of input tax to exporters

The West Bengal government will implement an amended law for speedy refund of input taxes to the exporters in August, Mr H.K. Dwivedi, Commissioner, Commercial Taxes, Government of West Bengal, said here on Monday.Under the new provision, 50 per cent of the admissible amount of input tax would be refunded to the exporters within one month of receiving application, while the balance would be refunded, after verification of the returns, within five months thereafter, he said. “We have received several complaints about refunds being pending since the first quarter of 2005-06. This has created a huge backlog and therefore it was necessary to set a timeframe for timely refunds,” he said at a seminar organised by the Bengal Chamber of Commerce.Units eligible Under the existing law, 100 per cent export-oriented units as well as units which export at least 75 per cent of their goods are eligible to get refund of input tax. The new provisions, to be implemented under the West Bengal Finance Act 2008, are commensurate with the proposals made by the State Finance Minister, Mr Asim Dasgupta, in this year’s State budget, Mr Dwivedi added.Pointing out the importance of electronic filing of returns in minimising procedural delays, Mr Dwivedi said the State would introduce electronic issuance of C-forms to the manufacturers within two months. “Our objective is to minimise interface as far as possible. After receiving on-line application, the C-forms would be couriered to the dealers,” he said. The State is also expected to issue waybills on-line from August end, he added.Cyber-café fee Expressing concerns over exorbitant fees charged by cyber-cafes for providing e-filing services to the dealers, Mr Dwivedi said there are plans to develop common service centres in the State in authorised cyber cafes. The fees charged in such centres would also be fixed by the State. Currently 10,000 dealers file returns through electronic means in the State. There are targets to bring 25,000 dealers under the e-filing net by the end of this fiscal, he said.The State is registering a 70 per cent growth (year-on-year) in registration for dealership under the VAT net. The number of dealers who have registered under VAT as of now stands at 2,20,000, Mr Dwivedi said. – www.thehindubusinessline.com