GCCI Urges Finance Minister to Resolve Challenges in Filing Second Appeals on GSTAT Portal
GCCI has requested an opportunity to present these concerns in person, pointing out that a legally sound, and technologically robust GSTAT portal is essential to uphold taxpayer rights and ensure timely justice.
The Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) recently submitted a detailed representation to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, highlighting multiple technical, procedural, and practical difficulties faced by taxpayers and professionals while filing second appeals before the newly operational Goods and Services Tax Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT).
The appeal comes just months after the 56th GST Council meeting recommended operationalizing GSTAT to accept second appeals from 2026.
While welcoming the tribunal’s launch, GCCI’s representation pointed out that taxpayers and legal professionals are facing various hurdles in navigating the portal such as :
- Complicated multi-tab filing compared to the simpler GST first appeal portal.
- Poorly designed captcha codes and OTP delays.
- Sudden logouts without warning
- Lack of clarity on Case Reference Numbers (CRN).
- Incorrect auto-fetching of “date of communication of order,” affecting appeal timelines Etc.
The Chamber also points to redundant data entry requirements, such as re-entering appellant details already available in system records, and an overwhelming dropdown list of 38 dispute categories without search or filter options.
GCCI President Sandeep P. Engineer and Indirect Tax Committee Chairman Nayan A. Sheth noted that these issues must be resolved quickly to ensure GSTAT functions as an efficient and effective forum for timely dispute resolution.
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