GST Tribunals may be delayed by 6 months as states yet to appoint officials
The much-anticipated Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunals (GSTAT) may take another six months to become operational. Many states are yet to appoint members or allocate office spaces, delaying the process, according to a report by The Economic Times. Initially, the tribunals were expected to start functioning by December 2024.
“Appointments to the state bench and supporting staff for the members are pending...This may take another six months,” a senior official told the news daily, on condition of anonymity.
The GSTAT will have 44 benches, each with four members — three from the central government and one from the state government. While applications and interviews for these positions are complete, the final verification and shortlisting are still underway.
Real estate allocation is another bottleneck, with only 50 per cent of the tribunal locations identified so far. On the tech side, software for the tribunals is ready, but IT infrastructure is still being procured, expected to be in place by March 2025, The Economic Times mentioned.
In May 2023, the Centre appointed Sanjaya Kumar Mishra, former Chief Justice of the Jharkhand High Court, as the GSTAT president for a four-year term. Experts believe that once fully functional, the GSTAT will significantly reduce the burden on courts and provide relief to businesses.
