Gaurav Gogoi has called on the Union Finance Minister to simplify GST procedures for small traders and manufacturers, citing increasing paperwork, frequent rule changes, and unresolved notices that hinder growth in rural and semi-urban areas.
Gaurav Gogoi has asked Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to make GST compliance less burdensome for small businesses, saying traders and manufacturers in his constituency are struggling more with paperwork and rule changes than with the tax itself. In a letter, the Jorhat MP and Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president said frequent amendments make it difficult for small firms, especially in rural and semi-urban areas, to keep up with the system.
Gogoi also pressed for faster disposal of old GST notices, saying some cases from the early years of the tax remain unresolved and continue to create uncertainty for genuine taxpayers who may have made procedural mistakes. He said the government should set a clear deadline for settling such cases and should continue efforts to rationalise the tax structure, arguing that multiple slabs often lead to classification disputes and extra compliance costs.
His appeal echoes wider concerns raised by businesses and tax experts over the way GST has evolved. According to Business Standard, filing has become more automated over the past nine years, but that has not eliminated complexity; instead, firms now face reconciliation problems, vendor compliance issues, portal changes and system-generated notices. Business Standard and Mint have also reported that input tax credit remains a major pain point, with supplier defaults, invoice mismatches and blocked credits tying up working capital for small companies. Gogoi said official guidance should be available in Assamese and other regional languages and suggested district-level facilitation centres to help businesses with registration, returns, queries and grievances.
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