NEW DELHI: The government on Thursday re-appointed Badri Narain Sharma as chairman of the National Anti-profiteering Authority (NAA) which ensures that consumers get benefit of reduced prices under the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
An official order said that Sharma, who was due for retirement on next Wednesday, will continue as the NAA chairman for another two years.
The Appointments Committee of Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, cleared the name of Sharma, a 1985-batch IAS officer from Rajasthan, "for re-appointment for a period beyond July 31", the order said.
At present the NAA has three members -- J C Chauhan, chairman, tax tribunal, Himachal Pradesh; and Indian Revenue Service officers R Bhagyadevi and Amand Shah.
The authority was constituted in 2017 to protect consumer interests by ensuring that the benefits of input credit and the reduction in GST rates on specified goods or services are passed on to them by way of commensurate reduction in prices, the ministry said.
According to the structure of the anti-profiteering mechanism in the GST regime, complaints of local nature will be first sent to the state-level screening committee while those of national level will be marked for the standing committee.
The NAA has the power to cancel registration of any entity or business if it fails to pass on to consumers the benefit of lower taxes under the GST regime, but it would probably be the last step against any violator.