Modifications to the procedure for interception of conveyances for inspection of goods in movement, and detention, release and confiscation of such goods and conveyances, as clarified in Trade Circular No. 08/2018 dated 16.04.2018. - GST - States - 36/2018

GOVERNMENT OF WEST BENGAL DIRECTORATE OF COMMERCIAL TAXES 14, BELIAGHATA ROAD, KOLKATA-700015 TRADE CIRCULAR No. 36/2018 (Circular No. 49/23/2018-GST) DATED: 17.09.2018 Subject: Modifications to the procedure for interception of conveyances for inspection of goods in movement, and detention, release and confiscation of such goods and conveyances, as clarified in Trade Circular No. 08/2018 dated 16.04.2018. Circular No. 08/2018 dated 16.04.2018 was issued to clarify the procedure for interception of conveyances for inspection of goods in movement, and detention, release and confiscation of such goods and conveyances. 2. In order to clarify certain issues regarding the specified procedure in this regard and in order to ensure uniform implementation of the provisions of the WBGST Act across all the field formations (i.e. jurisdictional officers), the Commissioner, in exercise of the powers conferred under section 168 (1) of the West Bengal Goods and Services Tax Act, hereby issues the following modifications to the said Circular: - (i) In para 2 (e) of the said Circular, the expression three working days may be replaced by the expression three days ; (ii) The statement after paragraph 3 in FORM GST MOV-05 should read as: In view of the above, the goods and conveyance(s) are hereby released on ( DD/MM/YYYY ) at AM/PM. 3. Further, it is stated that as per rule 138C (2) of the West Bengal Goods and Services Tax Rules, 2017, where the physical verification of goods being transported on any conveyance has been done during transit at one place within the State or in any other State or Union territory, no further physical verification of the said conveyance shall be carried out again in the State or Union territory, unless a specific information relating to evasion of tax is made available subsequently. Since the requisite FORMS are not available on the common portal currently, any action initiated by the State tax officers is not being intimated to the central tax officers and vice-versa, doubts have been raised as to the procedure to be followed in such situations. 3.1 . In this regard, it is clarified that the hard copies of the notices/orders issued in the specified FORMS by a tax authority may be shown as proof of initiation of action by a tax authority by the transporter/registered person to another tax authority as and when required. 3.2. Further, it is clarified that only such goods and/or conveyances should be detained/confiscated in respect of which there is a violation of the provisions of the GST Acts or the rules made thereunder. Illustration : Where a conveyance carrying twenty-five consignments is intercepted and the person-in-charge of such conveyance produces valid e-way bills and/or other relevant documents in respect of twenty consignments, but is unable to produce the same with respect to the remaining five consignments, detention/confiscation can be made only with respect to the five consignments and the conveyance in respect of which the violation of the Act or the rules made thereunder has been established by the proper officer. 4. Difficulty, if any, in the implementation of this circular should be brought to the notice of the Commissioner. 5. This Circular shall be deemed to have come into force with effect from 21.06.2018. Sd/- SMARAKI MAHAPATRA Commissioner, State Tax, West Bengal Date: 18.09.2018 Memo. No. 396 CT/PRO 3C/PRO/2018