Aadhaar may be made 'mandatory' for claiming GST refunds: FM Nirmala Sitharaman

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The Goods and Services Tax Council chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday took an in-principle decision to link Aadhaar with the registration of taxpayers under the GST and examine the possibility of making Aadhaar mandatory for claiming refunds.

She also said that a committee would also be formed to ensure simplification of annual return filing procedures.

Sitharaman said that the Council had taken an "in-principle decision to link Aadhaar with the registration of taxpayers under GST and examine the possibility of making Aadhaar mandatory for claiming refunds".

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The Finance Minister also said that while a committee of officers would be constituted to examine the simplification of forms for annual return and reconciliation statement, suitable amendments would be made in the in Central GST Act, Union Territories GST Act, and the corresponding State GST Acts in view of creation of UTs of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

In order to rein in the menace of fake invoices and fraudulent refunds, Sitharaman said, that the Council had taken also an in-principle decision to "prescribe reasonable restrictions on the passing of credit by risky taxpayers including risky new taxpayers".

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