Mysuru: Goods and Services Tax (GST) is designed to create one economic India by providing level playing field for consumers and producers across the country, said former Chief Commissioner of Central Excise and Customs, Mysuru Zone, S. Rajkumar.

Speaking as the chief guest at the historic GST Day organised by the Office of the Principal Commissioner of Central GST and Central Excise, at its premises on Vinaya Marga in Siddarthanagar here on July 1, he said that GST comes with advantages to trade and manufacturers with in-built common procedures for registration, duty payment  refund and filing of returns.

Commissioner G.V. Krishna Rao said that GST had only five rate slabs applied on a comprehensive base of supply of goods and services and hence by virtue of its design, it would be much easier to administer.

“The move towards digitalising records and transactions through massive network called GST network would change the culture and fragrance of working in the indirect tax departments. Implementation of GST is an ongoing and incremental process,” said Rao. The Commissioner assured that in this major tax harmonisation exercise no queries will be left unattended to by the officers of GST Mysuru Commissionerate and appealed to all the members of trade and industry to come to the department for any issues faced by them in GST implementation.

The other speakers at the event emphasised on the fact that the single tax was set to bring down prices for most items and that it would benefit all.

CII Mysuru Chairman Arjun Ranga, AT&S, Nanjangud, Managing Director and COO Robert Grobbauer, Commissioner (Appeals) Pradeep Suman and members of trade and industry were present.