To Improve Tracking Of Goods And Curtail GST Evasion, E-Way Bill Will Be Integrated With FASTag, By April 

An officers’ committee has been constituted by the revenue department to integrate the GST e-way bill system with National Highways Authority of India’s (NHAI) FASTag, a move which will improve tracking of the movement of goods and curtail GST evasion. The integrated system is likely to be rolled out by April this year, reports Deccan Chronicle.

"It has come to our notice that some transporters are doing multiple trips by generating a single e-way bill. Integration of e-way bill with FASTag would help find the location of the vehicle and when and how many times it has crossed NHAI's toll plazas," an official stated.

Already, Karnataka is running a pilot programme for an integrated system, which when implemented on a countrywide scale, will help in ensuring that e-way bills are created for the correct duration of travel.

The officers’ committee is responsible for explaining the advantages of an integrated system to all stakeholders. Operational efficiencies in the logistics sector are also likely to improve with its implementation.

"This would also help in preventing goods and services tax (GST) evasion by unscrupulous traders who take advantage of loopholes in the supply chain," the official said.

During the period between April-December in 2018, central tax officers uncovered 3,626 instances of GST evasion or violations, involving sums to the tune of Rs 15, 278.18 crore.

The e-way bill system will apply to goods worth more than Rs 50,000, being transported across state boundaries. Transporters themselves will also receive SMS alerts from each toll plaza their vehicles cross.