THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For the purpose of expediting e-governance activities, the State Goods and Services Tax (GST) department has developed a virtual cadre consisting of 78 department workers spread across the State.

Finance Minister K. N. Balagopal, who formally inaugurated the cadre on Monday, described it as a crucial step forward in the department's efforts to modernise. According to him, the virtual cadre will also assist the department in keeping tax payments under observation and preventing anomalies.

The Minister expressed his fear that if the Centre refuses to extend the GST compensation period by another five years, as asked by different states, Kerala will lose out on tax revenues. He also urged for tougher penalties for tax evasion.

According to Taxes Commissioner Rathan U. Kelkar and Taxes Special Commissioner Mohammed Y. Safirulla, the department has developed the virtual cadre by recruiting tech-savvy staff employees, who will be part of the cadre alongside their usual work.

"The cadre will assist the department in building a data-driven and transparent tax compliance framework," said Rajesh Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary (Finance). The Kerala State IT Mission would assist the Digital University Kerala in providing training to the cadre.

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