GST taxpayers alert! CBIC is going to use this unique number from Friday, here’s how it will benefit you

Document Identification Number (DIN): In order to protect GST taxpayers from any harassment at the hands of errant tax officials, the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), is going to use a unique number in every communication with taxpayers from Friday. Initially, the department will use this unique document identification number (DIN) mostly for investigation related communications such as arrest warrants

and search authorizations and it will be later expanded to cover all the communication issued by the officers of the board. All the communication issued on or after November 8 without a computer-generated document identification number will be invalid and deemed to have never been issued, said the CBIC in a letter issued to all the top officers on Tuesday.

The new document identification number to be used by the CBIC is similar to the one used by the CBDT since October 1 this year. GST taxpayers and recipients of summons, search warrants will be able to verify the genuineness of the document by visiting the CBIC’s website.

“The board in exercise of its powers under section 168(1) of the CGST Act, 2017 and Section 37B of the Central Excise Act, 1944 directs that no search authorization, summons, arrest memo, inspection notices and letters issued in the course of any inquiry shall be issued by any officer under the Board to a taxpayer or any other person, on or after the 8th day of November, 2019 without a computer generated Document Identification Number (DIN) being duly quoted prominently in the body of such communication,” said the CBIC in a letter issued on November 5, which was reviewed by the Financial Express Online.

The letter which was issued by the GST Investigation wing under the department of revenue, ministry of finance also made it clear that no communication issued on or after November 8 will be valid without a system-generated DIN number.

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“The board also directs that any specified communication which does not bear the electronically generated DIN and is not covered by the exceptions mentioned in para 3 shall be treated as invalid and shall be deemed to have never been issued,” said the CBIC.