Government will likely use social media to address GST-related issues promptly

The government is looking to announce a procedure wherein the GST Council can address issues related to the indirect tax regime either suo motu or after being approached by companies or industry bodies, according to reports.

The government is looking to prescribe a procedure by which companies can directly approach the GST Council or issues can directly be identified through social media interactions. The idea is that the GST Council could take swift action or address a problem when a number of people start complaining on Twitter.

Under the new mechanism, issues which are being tweeted to government’s Twitter handles around GST would be picked up on a priority basis and resolved or clarified immediately.

Currently, Twitter handles are managed by tech professionals who often just repeat the stated lines. But the government does come to know about the magnitude of the problem and the GST Council can intervene and take immediate action.

At last count, about 49 writ petitions have been filed across courts in issues related to GST, of which about 16 are by businesses seeking a quick resolution.