VIJAYAWADA: Marking a major milestone in the State’s tax dispute resolution mechanism, the Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT), Andhra Pradesh, officially inaugurated its Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam Benches on Thursday. In a swift operational rollout, appeal hearings at both benches commenced on the very day of their inauguration.
The ceremony was inaugurated by Bhaskar Reddy Vemireddy, Vice President and Member (Judicial), GSTAT Andhra Pradesh.
In his address, Vemireddy highlighted the tribunal’s commitment to providing speedy, transparent, and effective justice to taxpayers, while ensuring uniformity and efficiency across the GST adjudication process. According to the Deputy Registrar of GSTAT AP, the simultaneous inauguration and immediate start of hearings reflect concerted efforts between the tribunal and tax administrations to make the appellate structure fully operational.
The establishment of these regional benches is expected to significantly accelerate the disposal of pending GST appeals, improve legal access for taxpayers across the state, and reduce prolonged litigation.
The event saw attendance from key judicial, state, and central tax officials, including Sathish Kumar Agrawal, Member (Technical), GSTAT AP; A Babu, Chief Commissioner of State Taxes, Andhra Pradesh; Nutulapati Soumya, Special Commissioner; Devesh Gupta, Commissioner (Appeals), RK Raman, Commissioner (Customs); and Arun Richard, Commissioner (CGST). Senior members of the Tax Bar and others were present.