E-Way Bill has become mandatory for the Inter-State as well as the Intra-State movement of goods after 1st April 2018. Let us discuss the provisions/penalties for GST E-way Bill Non-Compliance in this article.
Provisions/Penalties For GST E-Way Bill Non-Compliance
Many questions have been raised on whatsaap groups, facebook groups as well as other mediums. We will try to answer as many questions as possible.
When and How GST E-Way bill is applicable?
Answer: GST E-Way Bill has been made compulsory for inter-state supplies from 01 April 2018. However, for intra-state supplies, E-Way has been enabled in various states earlier. E-Way bill has to be given for inter as well as intrastate supplies exceeding Rs. 50,000.
What will happen if goods are transported without the cover of Invoice or GST E-Way bill?
Answer: If goods are transported without invoice or E-Way bill then penal provisions would be applicable. A penalty amounting to the tax payable or an amount of Rs 10,000 whichever is higher would be levied in case of default.
Example
If a dealer transports goods worth Rs 4 Lakhs taxable at the rate of 28% i.e Rs 112,000 is tax amount, without the invoice or E-Way bill then the penalty will be higher of –
- Rs 10,000 or
- Tax payable on such goods here Rs 112,000.
Hence, the penalty here will be Rs 112,000.
What if goods are transported without the cover of the invoice and E-Way bill and the goods are detained /seized by inspector/Tax officer?
Answer: If the tax officer detains such goods then for releasing such goods and conveyance the owner of the goods needs to pay penalty as under-
- When the owner of the goods comes forward to pay penalty and tax amount penalty will be equal to 100% of tax payable on such goods also the owner needs to pay tax on such goods at the same time. In case of exempted goods, the penalty will be 2 % of the value of goods or Rs 25,000 whichever is less.
- When the owner of the goods do not come forward to pay penalty and tax amount, the penalty will be equivalent to 50% of the value of goods as reduced by tax paid also the owner needs to pay tax on such goods at the same time. In case Exempted goods, the penalty will be 5% of the value of the goods or 25,000 whichever is less.
- The taxpayer can also give security for the amount equivalent to amount 1 or 2 above, in the way prescribed by the officer.
Example
If goods worth Rs 4,00,000 has been detained and the applicable tax rate is 28%, then the taxpayer has to pay:
- Tax (Rs 112,000) as well as penalty ( Rs 112,000)
- Tax on goods transported i.e Rs 112,000 as well as Penalty i.e Rs 88,000 (50% of the value of goods (4,00,000*50%=2,00,000)-tax Paid( Rs.112,000/-).
- The taxpayer can also give security worth the penalty amount.
What actions can be taken by the tax officer?
Answer: The Appointed officer may check goods at check posts. He can also check various documents that are required to be carried along with E-Way bill. If the officer is satisfied that tax has been evaded then goods can be confiscated by the officer after giving an order for the same. Once the goods are checked at one check post then such goods would not be checked at any other post.
Conclusion
Taxpayers must ensure that the goods transported should be issued with E-Way bill if the consignment value exceeds Rs 50,000 and while transporting the goods, the taxpayer must know the value of the goods, the total tax on such goods, and it must be transported with invoice copy and e-way bill.
The transactions in E-Way bill must be taken in the books. This might be cross-checked by the department. Hence taxpayers must check all the details and then only issue E-Way bill.
You can also download GST excel Templates like GST Receipt Voucher, GST Refund Voucher, GST Invoice format for Retailers and many other templates.
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sanjay agarwal says
I have dispatched consignments without generating intrastate e waybill . the goods has been delivered also. But after few days only I came to know that intrastate way bill was mandatory.In these cases is penalty will be imposed ? if yes than how much ? as the goods has been already delivered.
Fahim Lashkaria says
If the consignment has reached I think there is o issue. But if sometimes it happens that you are caught then you will be liable for the penalty.
George Abraham says
My friend was transporting batteries with GST of about 16K. He was not aware of the e way bill and was stopped by the Commercial Taxes Squad. They are demanding to pay 4 times the GST amount which is about 64K. As per this article, the amount should only be around 16K.
Fahim Lashkaria says
Will check and revert.
VEERAMANIKANDAN says
My client mistakenly despatched goods worth more than Rs.1 Lakh to a nearby buyer of 50 kms. radious without generating e way bill. The material also reached the buyer without any intervention. However since the bill has been accounted properly, Will there be any problem in the future for non generation of e way bill. What the rule say.
Fahim Lashkaria says
According to the law it has to be issued. Solution to this is that you issue the e-way bill and attache it with the invoice and present to the authorities during the audits. You need to change the date of invoice also for the same invoice and it should match with the e-way bill.