The Indirect taxes levied both at the Central and State/UT level in India. Frequent changes in the Laws and Rules in Goods and Services Tax (GST) make the analysis of a tax compliance from an indirect tax perspective all important.  We provide assistance in identifying risk areas and sustainable planning opportunities for indirect taxes throughout the tax life cycle, helping clients meet their compliance requirements and business objectives.

We provide you with effective processes to help improve your day-to-day reporting for indirect tax, reducing attribution errors, reducing costs, ensuring regular compliances and ensuring indirect taxes are handled correctly. We advise clients on the several implications of these laws, tax planning and representation before the tax authorities and Appellate Authorities.

The indirect tax services that we offer, also include the following:

• GST/Customs Advisory and Representation
• GSP services
• Indirect tax health check-up/review
• Assistance in investigations/tax dispute
• Retainership
• Customs & Foreign Trade Policy assistance
• Assistance in drafting of contract and negotiations
• Handholding with new start-ups

1. Advisory:

• Applicability of taxes on transactions, classification, valuation, place of supply, admissibility of tax benefits and exemptions and on claim of ITC. Providing guidance on the applicability of GST
• Tax planning enabling clients opt suitable schemes
• Providing opinions on various indirect tax issues
• Comprehensive reviews of business operations to identify tax planning opportunities and compliance errors
• Indirect taxes due diligence reviews (on buy side and sell side)
• Review of GST implementation /up dation in light of latest laws / rules.
• Support in structuring contracts / transactions to optimize tax incidence
• Support in contract negotiations and reviews of contract documents
• Evaluate tax implications on existing or proposed business transactions
• Assist in adopting appropriate valuation model
• Assistance in complying with provisions of anti-profiteering

2. Compliance:

• Assistance in obtaining registrations under GST and other Law
• Verification of Input tax credit records and enabling availment of eligible credits
• Review of periodic computations of tax liabilities
• Filing of required tax statutory applications and documents with various tax authorities
• Indirect tax compliance / outsourcing on PAN India basis
• Assistance in Audit/Investigations done by the tax authorities
• SOP enabling compliance to GST requirements
• Review of data and periodical returns
• Assistance in compliance relating to Customs

3. Litigation Support:

Carrying out due diligence of current tax disputes, identifying disputes with remote or no chances of success, advising on indirect tax related positions to be adopted and the way forward based on prudent tax and commercial reasons, assisting in preparation of appeals and assisting counsel in proceedings at all levels, including the stage of appellate tribunal.

• Reply to SCN/Notices from tax authorities and drafting appeals
• Representing before adjudication and appellate authorities up to AT
• Representing before anti-dumping authorities
• Representing before authorities for advance ruling
• Supporting senior counsel in litigation matters

4. Indirect tax process outsourcing:

Indirect tax outsourcing covers excise, service tax, VAT and EOU/SEZ legislations, wherein Pratax helps the client with indirect tax compliances which include wide ranging activities pertaining to indirect taxes like tax computation, preparation of returns, filing of returns, assist in responding to queries raised by tax authorities, guiding and providing assistance in department audits, advisory on routine matters and other support services.

We also provide support during investigations and advice on the way forward in the proceedings

• Support throughout the outsourcing process
• Developing and documenting client’s business case
• Single point of contact (SPOC) throughout the duration of the assignment
• Technical and industry understanding, supported by robust infrastructure and team
• Support to all manufacturing and service providing entities 
• Supporting entities having limited indirect tax resources
• Helping entities located out of India for their tax compliance requirements
• Entities that rely on local consultants, CFAs and local staff for compliance
• Supporting entities for their unsettled tax disputes  
• Complete e-way bill management

5. Indirect tax health check-up/Review:

Comprehensive review of an entity’s data on sample basis from an indirect tax perspective to identify gaps in compliance, existing tax exposures and identify avenues for indirect tax savings, if any. This exercise is conducted as tax optimisation strategy or when there is a changeover in the finance or tax leadership to identify the current state of affairs when the new leadership takes over.

Undertaking comprehensive reviews of business operations to identify tax planning opportunities and compliance gaps We also provide support during investigations and advice on the way forward in the proceedings.

Technical and industry experience, supported by infrastructure and skilled professionals to identify:

• Areas of non-compliances, if any;
• Areas of possible tax risks exposures, if any;
• Avenues of possible tax savings, if any.
• We also, assist in implementing the recommendations/closing the gaps.
• Support in critical situation / trouble shooting problems

6. Retainership:

Comprehensive retainership and specific activity retainership helps clients ensuring compliance with the GST requirement. The scope depends on client’s specific requirements.

• On-call advisory services on specific issues/queries raised in the course of day-to-day operations related to indirect taxes
• Review contracts and other key documents and provide comments thereon from tax perspective
• Advise on a tax efficient alternate business structure model
• Participate in tax related client strategy meetings
• Support in resolving disputes with supplier of goods / services
• Support in resolving any issue relating to movement of goods manufactured

7. Representations:

• Representing on tax and trade policy issues before relevant government authorities
• Assistance in developing economic justifications for tariff or non-tariff concessions
• Assisting in anti-dumping and other non-tariff proceedings

8. Contract drafting / Negotiation support:

Identify the probable impact on Erection, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contracts both pre-bid/post bid, model simulation under different options from an indirect tax perspective, identify an optimum model and advice on the structuring of agreements within the law. Also, advice about various tax benefits available to the company under different options related to payment of taxes under various indirect tax legislations.

• Structuring of contracts and transactions to optimise indirect tax incidence
• Assisting in contract negotiations
• Reviewing contract documentation in order to identify the GST impact, from the perspective of procurement, manufacturing and logistics
• Formulating indirect tax efficient business models