The move is aimed at curbing fraudulent registrations under Goods and Services Tax (GST) by giving bogus addresses for the purpose of claiming Input Tax Credit
GST Network has enabled geocoding functionality for the ‘additional place of business’ address of GST-registered businesses across all states and union territories.
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The move is aimed at curbing fraudulent registrations under Goods and Services Tax (GST) by giving bogus addresses for the purpose of claiming Input Tax Credit (ITC).
“GSTN is pleased to inform that the geocoding functionality for the ‘Additional Place of Business’ address is now active across all States and Union Territories. This builds upon the geocoding functionality earlier implemented for the principal place of business, operational since February 2023,” GST Network said in an advisory to taxpayers.
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To date, over 2.05 crore addresses have been geocoded for both principal and additional places of business by GSTN.
Since March 2022, all new business addresses are geocoded at the point of registration, ensuring consistent accuracy and standardisation from the beginning, it added.
AMRG & Associates Senior Partner Rajat Mohan said the integration of geocoding functionality assumes a pivotal role in detecting instances of tax evasion by furnishing tax authorities with precise geographical location data.
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“Using tools such as heat maps and spatial analysis, tax authorities can uncover tax irregularities clusters, enabling enforcement agencies to allocate their resources more strategically. power of geocoding, tax authorities can elevate the effectiveness of their audit and enforcement endeavours, ultimately contributing to a more equitable and streamlined tax collection process,” Mohan added.
