Para 13 - VERIFICATION AND CONTROL - Report on - Business Processes for GST on Refund Process - [August 2015]

VERIFICATION AND CONTROL: 13. Every refund that is sanctioned would need to go through a process of review by higher authorities in order to ensure the correctness of the decision of refund sanctioning authority. So once the refund is sanctioned, the same shall be transferred through the IT system to the menu of the higher authority along with the documents on the basis of which decision was taken by the refund sanctioning authority. Any documents that were sought besides those in the application should also be forwarded manually to the higher authority for taking a decision about review of the order. It is essential that there is simultaneous flow of the refund documents in paper along with the electronic application to the audit section so that the process of post audit can be carried out concurrently. 13.1 It is recommended that looking at the higher level of compliance and self regulating mechanism in the form of system based ITC verification, uploading of sales and purchase invoices, reconciliation, compliance rating etc. post audit of refund application (and not of the accounts of the taxpayer)can be dispensed with if so decided by the respective Tax Jurisdiction for refunds upto Rs. One lakh for normal taxpayers and for refund upto ₹ 2 lakhs for certain prescribed categories of applicants (like public sector undertakings, applicants having the AEO Status, etc.) but the process of review of refund may be provided in the GST Law. 13.2 Besides this, for refund amounts exceeding a pre-determined amount a provision for pre-audit of refund application (and not of the accounts of the taxpayer) before the sanction of the refund may be provided for. Keeping in view the points mentioned above regarding increased compliance, self-regulation and system based verification, etc., it is recommended that the monetary limit for pre- audit of the refunds sanctioned may be kept at Rs. one crore or as may be decided by the respective Tax Jurisdiction. The procedure for pre- audit will be same as that for the post audit except that the application will have to move to and fro between the refund sanctioning authority and the audit authority before grant of refund. The GST Law may provide that the process of audit should be time bound with clearly defined timeline so that quality of audit does not suffer from insufficiency of time. 13.3 It is recommended that either the review procedure or system of preaudit post-audit may be kept in the GST Law. GST Law Drafting Committee may provide for the appropriate provision.