Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Jun 16: In the run-up to GST Day on July 1, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has rolled out a nationwide “GST Pakhwada” from June 17 to June 30. This fortnight-long campaign is designed to boost awareness around the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and provide on-ground assistance to taxpayers.

Helpdesks have been activated at all Central GST (CGST) Commissionerates across India to guide citizens, address doubts, and support compliance. The outreach also commemorates eight years since GST was introduced in 2017—a landmark moment in India's tax history that brought uniformity to the country’s indirect tax structure.

This initiative comes at a time of significant transition within the GST framework. The Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) has announced major procedural updates to return filing, set to kick in from the July 2025 tax period.

One of the key changes is that the GSTR-3B form—used for monthly GST payments—will become non-editable once submitted. Instead, the return will be automatically populated using sales data declared in GSTR-1. Any necessary adjustments must be made beforehand using a new correction mechanism through GSTR-1A.

According to CBIC, this overhaul aims to enhance return accuracy, reduce mismatches, and plug revenue leakages.

Another crucial update involves a strict cut-off for return submissions: from July 2025, no GST return—whether GSTR-1, GSTR-3B, GSTR-4, GSTR-9, or others—can be filed more than three years past its original due date. This amendment, included in the Finance Act of 2023, will be implemented on the GST portal.

Taxpayers have been urged to clear any backlog and file outstanding returns promptly to avoid being permanently blocked under the new compliance rules.