Introduction
Rule 138 of the Central Goods and Service Tax Rules, 2017 deals with the e-way bill which came into effect from 01.07.2017. But no rule has been framed at that time. Vide Notification No.27/2017-Central Tax, dated 30.08.2017, the Central Government framed rules for e-way bill. Rule 138 was substituted to the old rule and Rule 138A to 138D was inserted.
- Rule 138 provides for the information to be furnished prior to commencement of movement of goods and generation of e-way bill.
- Rule 138A provides for the documents and devices to be carried by a person-in-charge of a conveyance.
- Rule 138B provides for the procedure for verification of documents and conveyances.
- Rule 138C provides for inspection and verification of goods.
- Rule 138D provides for facility for uploading information regarding declaration of vehicle.
For this purposes the following forms are prescribed=
Vide Notification No. 74/2017-Central Tax, dated 29.12.2017 the Central Government notified the above rules that will come into effect from 01.02.2018.
E-way Bill
E-way bill is an electronic document generated on the portal evidencing movement of goods. It has two components- Part A comprising of details of GSTIN of recipient, place of delivery, invoice or challan number and date, value of goods, HSG Code, transport document number and reasons for transportation. Part B comprises of transporter details such as vehicle number.
Every registered person who causes movement of goods of consignment of value more than ₹ 50,000/- is required to furnish above mention information in Part A of e-way bill.
Objectives
The objectives for introduction of E-way bill are as follows-
- Single e-way bill for hassle-free movement of goods throughout the country;
- No need for separate transit pass in each State for movement of goods;
- Shift from departmental-policing model to self declaration model for movement of goods.
Benefits
The following are the benefits available-
- Taxpayers/transporters need not visit any tax officers/check posts for generation of e-way bill/movement of goods across States;
- No waiting time at check posts and faster movement of goods thereby optimum use of vehicles, resources since there are no check posts in GST regime;
- User friendly e-way bill system;
- Easy and quick generation of e-way bill;
- Checks and balances for smooth tax administration and process simplification for easier verification of e-way Bill by tax officials.
Features of the E-way Bill portal
The following are the features of E-way portal-
- User can create masters of his customers, suppliers and products for easy generation of e-way bill;
- User can monitor e-way bills generated on his account/behalf;
- Multiple modes for e-way Bill generation for ease of use;
- User can create sub-users and roles on portal for generation of e-way bill;
- Alerts will be sent to users via mail and SMS on registered mail id/mobile number;
- Vehicle number can be entered either by the supplier of goods who generates EWB or the transporter;
- QR code will be printed on each e-way bill for ease of seeing details;
- Consolidated e-way bill can be generated for vehicle carrying multiple consignments.
Registration
The GST tax payers can register in the e-way bill system by giving their GSTIN numbers. The unregistered transporters and businesses can enroll under the e-way bill system by providing their PAN number or Aadhaar.
Modes of generation of e-way bill
The e-way bill can be generated in the following modes-
- Web-online using browser on laptop or desktop or phones etc.,
- Android based mobile app on mobile phones;
- Via SMS through registered mobile number;
- Via API (Application Program Interface) i.e, integration of IT system of user with e-way bill system for generation of e-way bill;
- Tool based bulk generation of e-way bills;
- Third party based system of Suvihda Providers.
E-way bill system in States
The following are the stages for the roll out of E-way bills-
- The E-way bills will be rolled out on trial basis from 16.01.2018.
- The E-way bill rules will come into effect in India from 01.02.2018.
- The States can opt to follow e-way bill system at any time before 01.06.2018.
- From 01.06.2018 the e-way bill rules will uniformly apply to all States.
The e-way bill system has already been in vogue in four States viz., Karnataka, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Kerala. These States together are generating nearly 1.4 lakh e-way bills per day.
- Uttarakhand issued notification for e-way bill which came into effect from 01.01.2018;
- Rajasthan issued notification for e-way bill which came into effect from 20.12.2017;
- Karnataka issued notification for e-way bill which came into effect from 06.09.2017;
These States has –
- released SMS module;
- bulk generation of e-way bills;
- API interface.
