Circular No. 192/04/2023-GST dated 17th July 2023

Key pointers – 

• In the cases where IGST credit has been wrongly availed and subsequently reversed on a certain date, there will not be any interest liability under sub-section (3) of section 50 of CGST Act if, during the time period starting from such availment and up to such reversal, the balance of input tax credit (ITC) in the electronic credit ledger, under the heads of IGST, CGST and SGST taken together, has never fallen below the amount of such wrongly availed ITC, even if available balance of IGST credit in electronic credit ledger individually falls below the amount of such wrongly availed IGST credit.
• However, when the balance of ITC, under the heads of IGST, CGST and SGST of electronic credit ledger taken together, falls below such wrongly availed amount of IGST credit, then it will amount to the utilization of such wrongly availed IGST credit and the extent of utilization will be the extent to which the total balance in electronic credit ledger under heads of IGST, CGST and SGST taken together falls below such amount of wrongly availed IGST credit, and will attract interest as per sub-section (3) of section 50 of CGST Act, read with section 20 of Integrated Goods and Services Tax Act, 2017 and sub-rule (3) of rule 88B of CGST Rules.
• Further clarified that credit of compensation cess cannot be utilized for payment of any tax under CGST or SGST or IGST heads and/ or reversals of credit under the said heads. Accordingly, credit of compensation cess available in electronic credit ledger cannot be taken into account while considering the balance of electronic credit ledger for the purpose of calculation of interest under subrule (3) of rule 88B of CGST Rules in respect of wrongly availed and utilized IGST, CGST or SGST credit.