TIRUCHY: Many of us would have seen the Goods and Services Taxpayer Identification Number (GSTIN) displayed in shops and establishments.
The 15-digit GSTIN is also the prime culprit in causing errors when filing applications or returns. Two years after the GST rollout, several tax practitioners and traders are coming up with suggestions to simplify it. “In most applications, people would rarely make mistakes while entering Aadhaar or PAN card numbers. This is because their numbers have less digits than GSTIN. The Aadhaar has 12 and PAN 10 digits. So, we often advise our employees to cross-check GSTIN multiple times to avoid errors,” said B Mohamed Azgar, president, Tamil Nadu GST Practitioners Association.
GSTIN, however, still can confuse accountants. “Sometimes it is difficult to differentiate 0 (zero) and O (Alphabet O). Similarly, 1 (one) and I (Alphabet I). If we make a wrong entry the money would go into the wrong account. Therefore, it would be convenient if the GSTIN format is simplified,” said Azgar.
Meanwhile, K Ramaraju, a retired TNSTC foreman, has come up with a simple system which is almost similar to the Motor Vehicle Number registration system. He submitted this suggestion through city-based NGO Dhesabakthi Sakkaram to the Centre.
In Ramaraju’s system, the first two digits will represent the State with abbreviations like TN for Tamil Nadu. The next three digits will denote the district. For instance, TRY for Tiruchy or NAG for Nagapattinam. In this system, a layman would be able to easily identify the State and district the GST number belongs to from the first five digits.
“For the sixth digit, I have assigned 0 to 9 numbers to denote the sector the GST number belongs to. Like the number 1 for Food, number 2 for Medicine, number 3 for Agriculture, etc,” added K Ramaraju.
Even consumer forums are stressing the need for a simplification of the GSTIN.