Every business or corporation that is involved in the providing goods/services & has a turnover of above Rs.40 lakhs (Rs 10 lakhs for special category states present in hill states and North-Eastern states) to get registered as a normal taxable entity or regular taxpayer through online GST registration process.
Once You become eligible for registration under GST, you must apply for a unique GSTIN from the GST Portal. Online GST registration is required by every registered taxpayer in order to collect and pay GST on the outward supplies i.e. sales and for claiming ITC on the inward supplies i.e. purchases.
The following are the two ways to register for GST:
via GST Online Portal or
via GST Seva Kendra set up by Government of India
The process is usually completed within 4-6 working days and a registration certificate having a unique GSTIN which is a 15-digit alphanumeric code, is provided to the individual.
Only Registered persons can claim the Input tax credit on the purchase of goods & services & can utilize the same for payment of taxes due on supply of goods or services. Input tax credit lets you reduce your tax you have already paid on inputs and pay the remaining amount at the time of paying tax.
Businesses with GST registration get recognition as a supplier of goods/services which in turn helps in attracting more customers and growing business. It shows that you are someone who can be trusted, hence there will be natural trustworthiness towards you from consumers and suppliers.
Under the previous tax regime, businesses had to file multiple returns accorded with different indirect taxes – VAT, excise, and service tax. As GST is a unified and singular tax regime, the number of filings has come down, making it less hassle for entities to file a return and thereby reducing the paperwork to a large extent
Registered persons can make Interstate sales without any restrictions. It widens the potential market for SMEs .
Registered people will be legally recognized as a supplier of goods or services. He would be legally authorized to collect tax from his customers and pass on the credit of the taxes paid on the goods or services supplied to the purchasers/ recipients. Aslo, if someone takes legal action against you, you will have legal strength to defend yourself. Without the GST registration, you cannot be considered as a genuine business, and it could work against you.
GST rates and structures are common across the country. A uniform tax is levied all across the country on goods and services, which makes it much more convenient to understand the entire indirect tax structure and thereby increasing certainty and ease of doing business
Small and medium taxpayers can avail the benefit of the composition scheme and lessen their compliance burden and cost. Taxpayers may opt for this scheme if their annual turnover in the previous financial year is less than 1.5 Cr.
If the authorities get to know that a business fulfilling the eligibility is carrying its operations without registering to GST, there could be major difficulties that could arise which include penalties, creating a negative image on authorities about the trustworthiness of you and your business, attracting frequent checks, or any unwanted issues.
Registering on e-commerce sites or opening your own ecommerce website becomes easy which will widen the scope of business for a registered person. Getting online GST Registration also makes you eligible to avail various other benefits and privileges rendered under the GST laws.
The following documents must be kept handy while applying for online GST registration -
Exemptions
The following people and entities are exempt from getting online GST registration:
Conclusion
GST is now paving the way for a common national market and Indian goods are also expected to be more competitive in international and domestic markets. Carrying the motive of “One Nation One Tax”, it has made the compliance procedure and tax administration more transparent, seamless, and intuitive and corruption-free. In a nutshell, it is always advised to not ignore online GST registration as it has far reaching benefits as discussed above.