An association representing nearly 15,000 central excise and customs officials today said it will launch a nation-wide protest and go on a mass casual leave on 'budget day' if its various demands related to implementation of Goods and Service Tax (GST) are not addressed.

The All India Association of Central Excise Gazetted Executive Officers has strongly demanded that all assessees of central excise and service tax with the annual turnover of Rs 20 lakh per annum should only be controlled by the Centre for the purpose of levy and collection of Central GST (CGST) and Integrated GST (IGST).

"It has come to notice of the association that the states and their employees have now started demanding control over service tax assessees also falling within the annual turnover limit of Rs 20 lakh per annum to Rs 1.50 crore per annum due to a liberal stand shown by the Centre, it said.

"The Centre appears to be showing leniency towards states to implement GST at any cost with effect from April 1, 2017," the association said in a memorandum to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.

The association demanded that none of the assessees of central excise (to be levied CGST on the supply of goods) and service tax (to be levied CGST on the supply of services) should be transferred to states for the purpose of levy and collection of CGST by the officers of states.

"All central excise and service tax assessees falling above the annual turnover of Rs 20 lakh should necessarily be controlled by the Centre and its officers only. No need to say that we require a strong and powerful Centre in our federal system," the memorandum said.

The association said if its demands are ignored then it "would be compelled to initiate non co-operation movement".

To start with, it plans peaceful lunch hour gathering in front of the residence of the Finance Minister here on October 14 and the similar protest on November 9 in all headquarters.

The officers of the association will also wear black badge in all offices on December 7, throughout the country besides a day-long protest programme on January 5, 2017. There will be mass casual leave on budget day by all officers, it said.

The association said that Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), its officers and employees are smoothly, hassle-freely and effectively collecting central excise duty from 1944 and service tax from 1994.

These officers and employees have always contributed the indirect taxes collection to the Union government over and above the budgetary targets.

"The CBEC and its officers should only be allowed to collect CGST and IGST under the forthcoming concerned statutes of CGST Act and IGST Act. On the other hand, the state government officials should be allowed to collect only SGST on intra-state supply of goods and services.

"Any cross utilisation of powers may lead to serious implications on collection of revenue to the Centre," the body said. #casansaar (Times of India)