100-hour certificate course in GST launched

New Delhi, June 30 (IANS) To create a workforce of GST-trained professionals, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) on Friday announced a 100-hour certificate course to understand the new tax regime, officials said.

The course will start from July 15 in three cities. The training programme -- conceptualised under the central government's flagship scheme of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) -- would be conducted in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Bhopal.

The course was formally announced here by MSDE Secretary K.P. Krishnan. It would be conducted at 100 centres across the three cities mentioned.

Chartered accountants, company secretaries, graduates and post-graduates in commerce, banking, statistics, financial markets and business administration can undergo the training programme.

"It's a historic reform that the government has brought in. We welcome this change and will contribute to our best of efforts to align to the new regime," Rajiv Pratap Rudy, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, said in a statement, referring to the new Goods and Services Tax (GST), slated to come into effect from July 1.

"We are also happy to know that crucial subjects like education and skill development services have been granted exemption from GST, as per the decision of the GST council," Rudy said.

"The government understands the relevance and importance of vocational education for the youths and the impact it can have on the economy. It will be a step towards improving the quality of vocational training, reduction in cost of the training and incentivising training providers for conducting NSQF (National Skills Qualifications Framework) compliant trainings," he added.

The course is expected to cater to the "urgent need of professionals" who can help their clients understand such concepts as incidence of taxation, registration under GST and calculation of tax liability.

Rudy said that the new, unifying tax regime would cause a boost in the job creation occasioned by an integrated national market.

"GST will boost hiring by 11 per cent across sectors. Skill India will actively contribute to the new tax regime. We are going to launch GST training programme to equip the candidates with the relevant skill sets in order to be an efficient GST professional," said the Minister.