An e-way bill is a mandatory document that a transporter must carry while transporting goods inter or intrastate, if the value of the goods exceeds ₹50,000. The implementation of e-way bills started in a phased manner at the beginning of FY18-19. Since UP was one of the earliest states to adopt the e-way bill system, there was no well established framework for them to follow while implementing it. This led to a lot of confusion among suppliers and transporters, who were used to the earlier system of waybills and found the transition difficult.
In this article, we will discuss the e-way bill rules in Uttar Pradesh. After reading it, you should have a clear understanding of the applicable laws regarding generating and carrying e-way bills when moving goods inside or outside the state. For easy reading, we will abbreviate Uttar Pradesh to UP from this point on.
Before GST was introduced, the UP government followed the UPVAT system, where waybills were used for both inter and intra state transport of goods.
The E-Sancharan certificate (Forms 38 and 39) was a declaration submitted to the VAT officer by VAT Registered Dealers. For any vehicle coming into UP from another state, the person-in-charge of the vehicle was required to carry a trip sheet and a duplicate copy of Form 38 of the E-Sancharan certificate.
If the buyer of the goods – who is located in UP – was not a VAT registered dealer, it was his responsibility to get Form 39 of the certificate from the Assistance Commissioner and send the signed copy of it to the seller, so the person-in-charge of the conveyance is able to produce the certificate when required to do so. However, there was no need for the E-Sancharan certificate when the goods were being moved within UP.
A modified version of E-Sancharan was temporarily in use until the e-way bill system was launched in a phased manner by the Centre on 1st April 2018.
Under the temporary modified system, the following documents had been prescribed by the commercial tax department of UP:
The current system in UP is the same as that in the rest of the country.
E-Way bills are required when transporting consignments worth Rs. 50,000 or more within or outside state borders. However, e-way bills are applicable only to taxable goods being transported from one place to another. Transporters must carry either a digital or physical copy of the e-way bill during transport. The process has been designed to minimise the time taken at checkpoints for transit forms to be checked with the system entry, making it less time-consuming and more convenient for transporters. The digital approach also helps in better tracking of movement and better detection of tax evasion by the authorities.
Generating e-way bills is only possible once you have registered under GST, since you will need to enter your GSTIN when creating an e-way bill. Once registered, it is essential to learn the process of generating an e-way bill.To generate e-way bills seamlessly without breaking your workflow to go to the GST Portal, try BUSY E-Way Bill Software. After a one time setup, you can generate single as well as multiple e-way bills in seconds. In just a few clicks, BUSY lets you generate e-way bills automatically as and when required.
Implementing the e-way bill system under GST in Kerala has streamlined the transportation of goods within the state. The system ensures greater transparency and accountability, reduces tax evasion, and eases business compliance procedures.