Question 1

Why are so many businesses suddenly receiving GST notices these days?

Accepted Answer

Enforcement has shifted from manual selection to data analytics. The portal now automatically compares GSTR-1 with GSTR-3B and flags tax shortfalls through DRC-01B intimations under Rule 88C, and compares GSTR-2B with GSTR-3B to flag excess ITC through DRC-01C under Rule 88D. E-way bill, e-invoice, TDS and income tax data are also cross-matched, and limitation deadlines for older financial years have pushed departments to clear pending demands in batches. The practical lesson for Oragadam businesses is that mismatches no longer go unnoticed, so month-wise reconciliation before filing is now essential hygiene rather than a year-end exercise.

Question 2

What is the place of supply for freight and courier charges on goods?

Accepted Answer

For transportation of goods, including by courier, Section 12(8) fixes the place of supply as the location of the recipient where the recipient is registered. Where the recipient is unregistered, it is the location where the goods are handed over for transportation. So a registered Oragadam manufacturer paying a transporter for a Chennai-to-Delhi movement has Tamil Nadu as the place of supply, and the RCM liability is paid as CGST plus SGST if the transporter is also in Tamil Nadu. This rule matters chiefly for paying reverse charge on GTA freight under the correct heads, because paying IGST where CGST and SGST were due creates a refund-and-repay exercise later.

Question 3

Does compensation cess still apply on any goods?

Accepted Answer

For most goods, no. With the rate restructuring of 22 September 2025, compensation cess was discontinued on items such as cars, and the demerit burden was merged into the single 40 percent rate. The cess continues only on pan masala and specified tobacco products during the transition period while past compensation cess loan obligations are being discharged. A practical point for traders: balances of unutilised compensation cess credit cannot be cross-utilised against CGST, SGST or IGST liability, so businesses holding old cess credit should evaluate their position rather than assuming it will set off future tax.

Question 4

Something is malfunctioning on the GST portal. How do I raise a formal grievance ticket?

Accepted Answer

Use the GST Self-Service Grievance Redressal Portal at selfservice.gstsystem.in. Select Report Issue, type a keyword describing the problem, and the system suggests the matching category along with FAQs; if those do not resolve it, proceed to raise the ticket by entering your GSTIN or ARN, contact details and a description, and attach screenshots of the error. A ticket reference number is issued instantly by email and SMS. Raising a ticket also creates a record that the failure was on the system side, which helps later if a deadline was missed because of a portal outage. Our Oragadam office logs tickets for clients as part of retainer support.

Question 5

What is the difference between the electronic cash ledger and the electronic credit ledger?

Accepted Answer

The electronic cash ledger reflects actual money you have deposited through challans, plus TDS and TCS credits you have accepted; it can pay tax, interest, penalty, late fee and any other amount. The electronic credit ledger reflects input tax credit claimed through your returns, and it can be used only for paying output tax, never for interest, penalty or late fee. Both are visible under Services, then Ledgers, after login. Refund of an excess cash balance is possible, while credit is refundable only in specified cases such as exports and inverted duty structure.

Question 6

Who must sign GST filings with a DSC, and who can use EVC?

Accepted Answer

Companies and limited liability partnerships must authenticate registration applications and returns with a Digital Signature Certificate of the authorised signatory; the Electronic Verification Code route is not ordinarily available to them, though the government has periodically allowed EVC for companies during specified relaxation windows. Proprietorships, partnerships, HUFs and trusts can freely use EVC, an OTP sent to the authorised signatory's registered mobile and email. The DSC must be a Class 3 signature registered on the portal against the signatory's PAN. If a company's filings fail at the signing step, an expired or unregistered DSC is the usual culprit.

Question 7

Does buying from unregistered dealers attract reverse charge for everyone?

Accepted Answer

No. The general reverse charge on all unregistered purchases under Section 9(4) was never fully implemented and now applies only to notified classes, principally real estate. A promoter must procure at least eighty percent of inputs and input services from registered suppliers for a project; on any shortfall, the promoter pays 18 percent under RCM, and cement purchased from an unregistered dealer attracts RCM at the rate applicable to cement, 18 percent since the September 2025 rate rationalisation reduced it from 28 percent, irrespective of the eighty percent test. Transfer of development rights and long-term leases to promoters are also covered. An ordinary trader or service provider in Oragadam buying stationery from an unregistered shop has no Section 9(4) liability at all.

Question 8

Is GST payable on hostel or paying guest accommodation in Oragadam?

Accepted Answer

A specific exemption effective 15 July 2024 covers accommodation services supplied at a value up to Rs.20,000 per person per month, provided the accommodation is supplied for a minimum continuous period of ninety days. Student hostels and working men's or women's PGs in Oragadam charging within this limit for long stays are therefore exempt. Where the monthly charge exceeds Rs.20,000, or the stay is shorter than ninety days, the supply is taxable like ordinary accommodation. Operators should maintain stay records and agreements evidencing the duration, because the ninety-day condition is what officers test first during verification.

Question 9

What happened to the old 12 percent and 28 percent GST slabs?

Accepted Answer

Both slabs were abolished with effect from 22 September 2025. Nearly all goods that were at 12 percent moved down to 5 percent, and the bulk of the 28 percent items moved to 18 percent, with only a small set of luxury and demerit goods shifted up to the special 40 percent rate. This means old rate charts, printed price lists and software masters created before September 2025 are unreliable. Before quoting or billing, confirm the current rate against the CBIC rate notifications for your exact HSN code, or call +91 - 9600 606 444 and we will verify it for your product list.

Question 10

Our small lodge in Oragadam gets bookings through online travel apps. Who pays the GST?

Accepted Answer

It depends on your registration status. If the lodge is registered, you charge GST on the accommodation and the platform collects TCS on payments routed through it, which you claim back on the portal. If the lodge is not liable to be registered, the law shifts the liability to the e-commerce operator itself under Section 9(5), so the app pays the tax on accommodation booked through it and the small lodge need not register merely because it lists online. Direct walk-in business remains within your threshold computation. Keep the platform agreements and statements, since they determine who reported the tax.

Question 11

Can I reduce GST for discounts given after the sale, like turnover incentives?

Accepted Answer

Only if three conditions in Section 15(3)(b) are met: the discount was established under an agreement that existed before or at the time of supply, it can be linked to specific invoices, and the recipient reverses the input tax credit attributable to it. If all three hold, you issue a GST credit note and reduce your output tax. If any condition fails, which is common for year-end volume incentives negotiated later, the adjustment must go through a commercial credit note without any GST effect. Distributor incentive schemes run from Oragadam should be papered before the season starts, not after.

Question 12

What does a GST consultant in Oragadam typically charge for refund and compliance work?

Accepted Answer

Fees vary with complexity. Simple filings such as an LUT or an excess cash ledger refund are usually fixed-fee assignments, while export and inverted duty refunds involve invoice statements, formula workings and departmental follow-up, so they may be priced as a fixed fee or a small percentage of the refund secured. Monthly reconciliation and return packages are subscription-based. ChennaiGST publishes transparent pricing starting at Rs.999 with no percentage cut on straightforward claims, and you pay only after the scope is agreed in writing. Call +91 - 9600 606 444 for a quote specific to your turnover and refund type.

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