Eased GST invoicing norms for retailers

Issuing invoices as per the GST laws was causing a lot of hassle for retailers. The length of the bill and the various codes were confusing customers who were feeling that they were being charged extra. Furthermore, such detailed information was not relevant them.

Subsequently, upon being requested by several members about the problem, Retailers Association of India (RAI) had written to the Finance Minister Arun Jaitley regarding the confusion caused to customers with the introduction of bills post GST. As per GST invoice rules, all dealers were required to issue invoice as per a specified format. In every invoice, it was mandatory to mention GST rates and HS code for each article sold and provide tax details. Complying with the requirements, the format were not only increasing the size of the invoice but was also confusing as they had a lot of information which is not relevant to the end customer as they would not be claiming input credit of GST. The issues needed urgent resolution as consumers felt that they are paying too much of taxes and were confused with long bills and multiple lines of items and GST rates in the bill. As the voice of the industry and in keeping with the interest of the consumers in mind, Retailers Association of India had submitted a representation calling the Government’s attention to the issue. w.r.t. B2C invoice. RAI requested that the GST Council review the GST invoice format for B2C transactions.

We are pleased to inform you that after a series of meetings, discussions and tweets to the concerned authority, the Government has considered our request and eased GST invoicing norms for retailers. A notification on the same is awaited. With this we believe this is a great relief to the retail fraternity and should facilitate smooth transactions at the billing counters.

Tags: gst, goods and service tax, gst laws, Retailers relief from GST, retailers, Retailers Association of India, rai, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, b2c, b2c transactions, varindia