Racing against time for GST rollout, Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) chief Vanaja N Sarna has sanctioned Rs 1 crore to each of 23 zones to conduct an outreach programme about the new tax regime.

Sarna asked officials of each zone to carry out the outreach at the local level to explain the new structure as also its benefits, registration and compliance.

“To implement this, zonal chief commissioners have now been requested to utilise an amount of Rs 1 crore out of the funds under the ‘O.E. General’ head for this purpose,” she wrote in her weekly newsletter.

The funds, she said, should be used for extensive outreach for educating taxpayers on legal and procedural aspects and the compliance expected under GST.

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