3,000+ GST Complaints Filed with National Consumer Helpline, Sent to CBIC for Action: Consumer Affairs Secretary
Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare on Monday confirmed that the complaints are being forwarded to the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) for necessary action.
The Ministry of Consumer Affairs has flagged a growing number of complaints related to the Goods and Services Tax (GST), with nearly 3,000 cases being reported on the government’s National Consumer Helpline (NCH) since the implementation of reduced tax rates.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event, Khare said that they have so far received 3,000 consumer complaints and are sending them to the CBIC for further action.
The complaints predominantly relate to retailers and service providers allegedly not passing on the benefit of GST rate cuts to end consumers. Instances of misleading discounts and deceptive pricing practices have been highlighted as methods used to avoid transferring the tax benefit.
Khare clarified that the Consumer Affairs Ministry is closely tracking these cases and working with the tax authorities to ensure compliance. The Ministry has also deployed artificial intelligence and chatbot technology to analyse and map complaint trends across sectors in real time. This digital intervention is expected to give the government a clearer picture of non-compliance and help identify repeat offenders.
“The Ministry is using technology tools to strengthen monitoring systems. AI-based analysis will allow us to segregate issues by sector and severity,” Khare said.
The government has reduced GST rates on a wide range of consumer goods and services over the past year in an effort to ease the tax burden on households. However, there have been persistent concerns that retailers and manufacturers are pocketing the difference rather than lowering prices for consumers.
This is not the first time the issue has come under official scrutiny. Previously, the anti-profiteering framework under GST law, overseen by the National Anti-Profiteering Authority (NAA), was tasked with ensuring that tax cuts were passed on. With NAA’s mandate earlier merged into the Competition Commission of India (CCI) and now GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT), consumer complaints are increasingly being routed through the NCH for initial vetting.
By referring such cases directly to CBIC, the Ministry of Consumer Affairs is protecting consumers from unfair trade practices. The latest complaints surge is a hopeful attempt to bridge the continuing gap between policy intent and market execution.
Support our journalism by subscribing to Taxscan premium. Follow us on Telegram for quick updates
