The President of IRS(C&CE) officers Association has stated that they are satisfied with the arrangement because the Chairman of CBEC has been included as a non voting member of the council , wherein voting members are Ministers.

The President of IRS(C&CE) officers Association  has stated that they are satisfied with the arrangement because the Chairman of CBEC has been included as a non voting member of the council , wherein voting members are Ministers.

With the Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council slated to take vital decisions during its coming

 meets, the government on Saturday appointed Arun Goyal as Additional Secretary of the pan

 India indirect levies' apex body. Earlier Cabinet has approved that "The GST Council 

Secretariat shall be manned by officers taken on deputation from both the

central and state governments." Both Secretary and Additional Secretary

 belong to state cadre. 

According to the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), Goyal will take charge of

 the newly created post of Additional Secretary, GST Council, under the Central Staffing Scheme.

"Arun Goyal, lAS (UT:1985) Additional Secretary, Project Monitoring Group, Cabinet Secretariat

 on lateral shift as Additional Secretary, GST Council against Newly created post under Central

 Staffing Scheme," Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions said in a statement.

The Council on Friday fixed the turnover-based exemption limit from such levies at Rs 20 lakh,

 but left the decision on fixing the actual tax rates and the finalisation of draft rules for later.

The council is scheduled to reconvene on September 30 and again from October 17-19.

Earlier the IRS(C&CE) Officers Association met the FM and appealed for posting of IRS officers

 in the Secretariat of GST Council, but IAS lobby advocated that since all the Commissioners

 of VAT  and  Secretaries of Finance departments of States are IAS officers, it will create 

administrative problem for the senior IAS officers  to report any non IAS officers who belong

 to an  inferior cadre.The Cabinet committee accepted the version of IAS lobby and decided to

  appoint  Arun Goyal as Additional Secretary of the pan India indirect levies' apex body. 

However the President of IRS(C&CE) has stated that they are satisfied with the arrangement

 because  the Chairman of CBEC has been included as a non voting member of  the council ,

 wherein voting members are Ministers.