Over 12k fake entities in GST; CBIC plans biometric authentication

CBIC is working on biometric authentication of risky entities under GST as it looks to crack down on fraudsters who are misusing the PAN and Aadhaar of other people to obtain GST registration, CBIC chief Vivek Johri said.

Johri further said that the tax authorities are also discussing some more tightening in the GST return filing system to limit the scope of claiming Input Tax Credit (ITC), when taxes have not been paid by suppliers in the supply chain.

The biometric authentication of authorised representatives or directors or partners of a company will be made for new registration applications and existing businesses registered under Goods and Services Tax (GST) if tax officers have a suspicion that the entities are being set up only to fraudulently claim ITC.

Also, geo-tagging of all entities is being planned by the officers of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) to authenticate that the address provided during GST registration is the place from where the entity