New Delhi: State-owned Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) August 29 launched a GST (Goods & Service Tax) app to help small traders file tax.

The initial GST plan is free for upto 2,000 invoices and for bills between 2,000 and 6,000, Rs 1,999 would be charged annually, and for invoices above 6,000, Re 1 would be charged per invoice, according to the telco.

BSNL has partnered with tax solutions provider Masters India to launch GST service.

Telco’s IT venture is a part of telco’s strategy to foray into new monetisation opportunities beyond the traditional telecom business, and is eyeing retailers, wholesalers, and small and medium businesses in tier- II and tier- III cities.

“We are passing through the most competitive times in the telecom industry. The new entrant has changed the telecom landscape. Tariffs are coming to rock bottom,” BSNL chairman Anupam Shrivastava said, adding that the company wanted to diversify existing business.

GST is an important decision by the government. Taxation in the country has become easier, BSNL top executive said, adding that the telco has chosen a partner, Masters India through a transparent mechanism.

Shrivatsa said that the PSU is open to enrol more partners to offer similar services.

The GST service, according to the BSNL executive, would be based on a revenue-sharing model, and Masters India has set up a call centre to resolve all GST-related queries.

“Masters India has invested diligent efforts in developing proficient GST solution to ease the teething pains for businesses becoming GST compliant,” Masters India chief executive Nishank Goyal said.

GST is an indirect tax, launched in India on 1 July 2017. The new tax regime replaced multiple cascading taxes levied by the Central and state governments for various products and services.

Source: telecom.economictimes