NEW DELHI: The Centre on Tuesday clarified that there are no pending goods and services tax (GST) dues to any state. Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman addressing a supplementary question in Rajya Sabha, stated the narrative suggesting pending GST dues from the Centre is incorrect and a “misnomer”. She said certain state governments have not submitted the authenticated certificate from the Accountant General (AG) required for the release of their share of funds. Sitharaman underlined the importance of AG’s certification and clarified that without it, Centre can’t clear funds. She explained that some states, even after submitting AG’s certificate, have requested to hold on until they reconcile numbers.
Sitharaman specifically named West Bengal and Goa, stating that they have not submitted the AG’s report for several fiscal years. “AG certificates not yet received as yet for states like Goa.. not come from West Bengal. To call it pending, it’s a misnomer. Let them come with AG certificate, we will clear it. Other states which have not submitted AG certificate.. one state Kerala sent AG certificate, has asked to hold on so till they reconcile with the AG certificate themselves.
So, we are holding,” she stated. Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary corroborated FM’s statement, affirming that there are no pending GST dues from any state government. He explained that provisional payments have been made to some states despite them not submitting the AG’s report.
Final payments will be processed once the AG’s report is received. Sitharaman noted that discussions in the GST Council address the challenges faced by traders and businesses on the ground.