GST Council's user‑friendly measures expected to spur MSME growth

Small and medium enterprises stand to benefit from the GST Council's latest user‑centric decisions. The council introduced a streamlined notice format and lowered the minimum penalty to ₹10,000, removing the burden of cause‑show notices for amounts under that threshold.

Refunds have become more predictable: a provisional 90 % payout is granted immediately, and the remaining amount is credited automatically within ten days, removing discretionary delays by officials.

In a significant policy shift, the power to arrest under Section 69 has been recommended for removal, and the prosecutorial ceiling has been raised from ₹1 crore to ₹5 crore. These moves are intended to diminish litigation risk and foster a climate where MSMEs can focus on growth rather than compliance anxieties.