ICSI working on a plan to offer course on GST

The Institute of Company Secretaries of India has plans to develop a course on GST to pave the way for smoother understanding of the indirect tax regime.

Kolkata: GST may be keeping political parties deeply divided, but the Institute of Company Secretaries of India (ICSI) is going ahead with its plan to develop a course on the indirect tax regime.

"GST will be a game-changer. It's going to change business and impact ways taxes are collected in the country. Keeping that in mind, ICSI is planning to come up with a course on GST," ICSI Vice-President Mamta Binani said here.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has let it be known that GST is likely to be introduced next year.
 ICSI will also hold a series of seminars on GST throughout the country in coming days and is planning to come up with a compendium on the Companies Act, 2013.

"ICSI is planning to bring out a compendium on amendment rules, various notifications, circulars and orders issued by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs in a user friendly manner," she said.

Stating that the book would probably be ready within six months, the ICSI official said, "We presume that the book will be out in another 5-6 months. The book, which has been classified chapter-wise, will help members and readers grasp the nuances of clarifications issued by the ministry."

The Institute is also working on its project, Student Member Application Software Hosting (SMASH), aiming to bring "everything online", Binani said.

"We are planning to bring in entire ICSI to the digital platform. Hopefully, this will be ready and launched by January, but we will not cut down on manpower and it will have a human touch," she said.