Flawless GST from 1st October 2010 - The Discussion Paper released by Empowered Committee of Finance Ministers on 10th November, 2009 envisages an extremely diluted form of GST - Task Force on GST
IT is understood that the Task Force on GST has submitted its report yesterday. For some strange reason, the report is not made public but some selected revelation has been made. We are told that a task force member who is slated to join one of the Big Four Consulting Firms has leaked the report to his future bosses. We don't believe such stupid rumours but if you find one of the Task Force members in a consulting firm soon, don't blame us!
The Task Force is headed by Mr. Arbind Mody who was till recently the Joint Secretary, TPL, in CBDT. The Task Force did not have a single Member from the CBEC – Central GST or from any State VAT Department!
The task force has of course expressed its thanks to
1. Mr. PV Bhide – the all knowing Revenue Secretary who is retiring next month and who is busy with searching for that +2 job! 2. Mr. Jose Cyriac – the Additional Secretary in the Revenue Department who is junior to all the Chief Commissioners of Customs and Central Excise. | |
3. Mr. Vivek Johri, JS TRU, CBEC | These are the four wise men who deal with Central Excise and service Tax at the highest level and they should have been in the Task Force; Instead of that an Income Tax Officer has been made the head of the Task Force. |
4. Mr. Gautam Bhattacharya, JS TRU, CBEC | |
5. Mr. R. Sekar, Former JS TRU, CBEC | |
6.Mr. Sushil Solanki , Commissioner, CBEC | |
It is not known how Mr. Arbind Mody, an Income Tax Officer had been made the Chairman of the Task Force on GST - and you know the Direct Taxes Code authored by him is attacked by his own Board – the CBDT!
Couldn't they find any Excise/VAT officer to head the panel?