The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has launched a nationwide campaign titled ‘GST Pakhwada’, running from June 17 to June 30, to mark eight years of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime ahead of GST Day on July 1.

The two-week outreach aims to raise awareness about GST, help taxpayers with compliance, and answer their queries. Helpdesks have been set up at all Central GST Commissionerates across India to assist businesses and individuals.

Introduced in July 2017, GST unified India’s fragmented indirect tax system into a single, streamlined structure.

The campaign also comes at a time when major changes to the GST return filing system are on the horizon. From the July 2025 tax period, the monthly GSTR-3B form will become non-editable. The form will be auto-filled based on sales data from other returns such as GSTR-1, and any corrections will need to be made through the newly introduced GSTR-1A in advance.

According to the GST Network (GSTN), this move aims to enhance return accuracy and prevent tax leakage.

Additionally, from July 2025, a three-year time limit will be enforced for filing any GST returns. After this period, late submissions of forms like GSTR-1, GSTR-3B, GSTR-9, and GSTR-4 will no longer be allowed. This provision was introduced through the Finance Act, 2023 and will now be implemented via the GST portal.

CBIC has urged all taxpayers to verify their records and file any pending returns before the new compliance window closes to avoid penalties or permanent lockouts.