CBEC starts PAN based registration for Central Excise

Our Corporate Bureau

Mumbai, Dec 2: The Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) has started the new process of switch over to Permanent Account Number (PAN) based registration for Central Excise with a bang.

As per official circular, a three stage strategy has been worked out for the complete adoption of Common Business Identifier Number (C-BIN) in Central Excise. According to officials, the idea of common business number is to facilitate assessment of all tax matters of the assesses, both direct and indirect taxes under one umbrella.

This will also help in identifying the cases of tax evasion and, in the process, will do away with the cumbersome methods of maintaining different numbers for different assessments. Further, this will make information sharing on various taxation matters easy across departments, said officials.

The department is all set to start the third stage of the strategy with the gradual completion of the first and second stages. While the first stage involved formulation of a new excise control code (ECC) number and its adoption in 1999, the second stage started with the replacement of existing registration number, personal ledger numbers and ECC numbers by PAN-based new ECC number with effect from December 1, 2001.

The department has already worked a six point plan for the smooth implementation of the third stage which is expected to commence by January 2003. As per the plan, it has been proposed to have all India connectivity of Central Excise formations at least up to divisional levels, computerised registration process and verifications and national and regional data warehouses.

The national directory will serve as starting point for development of national and regional data warehouses. Besides, national networking of Central excise formation will be the feeder for the data warehouse.