With the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the apex policy making of indirect taxes, i.e, Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) will be reorganized as Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC).
Earlier there were reports that the government had announced the renaming of the tax authority for indirect taxes towards the end of March itself, but the process has still not been completed since it needs a legislative change.
The Board has already started functioning with the new reorganised structure ahead of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) roll-out. Reportedly, it will get the new name in the current Parliament session.
“CBEC is renamed, and CBIC is going to be the name. But it needs to be done as a legislative change, because it was part of the Central Board of Revenues Act, 1963. So it’s still in the process. It will happen in this Parliament Session,” CBEC Chairperson Vanaja Sarna told IANS in an interview.
The Parliament’s Monsoon Session commenced on July 17 and will come to an end on August 11.
“That change has taken place because it does not need legislative change. Only this one needs legislative change, so it will go to the Parliament. It has to be done formally,” she said.
CBEC underwent re-organisation of the field formations of CBEC for the GST implementation. It now has 21 zones, 101 GST taxpayer services commissionerates comprising 15 sub-commissionerates, 768 divisions, 3,969 ranges, 49 audit commissionerates and 50 appeals commissionerates.
“In CBEC, we have made the organisational changes. So we are already well into the restructured organisation. But we kept the same 3-tier structure, which is commissionerate, division and range,” she said.
Sarna said that CBEC officials have adapted well to the new GST regime and are in a comfort zone.
