Amidst the preparation for the Goods and Services Tax (GST), which is will be rolled out from July 1, Travel Agents’ Association of India (TAAI) has started a series of seminars for its member travel agents, in order to educate them on the topic. Followed by sessions in Kolkata and Ahmedabad, TAAI recently organised a GST presentation in Mumbai, conducted by Manish Gadia, partner, GMJ & Co.
TAAI will conduct such sessions in of its 20 regions and chapters. In the coming week, GST presentations will be held in Lucknow and Bengaluru.
“We have started GST presentations across the country and all presentations across the country will be completed before June 30. Subsequently in July, we will once again try and get Manish Gadia to do a detailed presentation. From time to time, we are also going to send across mailers about developments. GST is challenging and difficult, but as we get educated by such presentations, it has become a little easy to understand. After the GST rates have been announced, we are getting more clarity on the topic,” Jay Bhatia, honorary treasurer and chairman – tourism council, TAAI.
Bhatia added that the association had sent its presentations to the government, which has assured support once GST gets implemented and as and when challenges emerge.
Sampat Damani, chairman, TAAI Western Region, commented, “With GST, we are embarking on a new path. We have to first understand what is GST. We have to wait and watch, but at the same time also prepare ourselves. TAAI intends to have many more sessions to discuss GST and understand it better. However, GST is going to be tough for travel agents – both small and big – because there will be a lot of paperwork. The margins are not there and the costs are also increasing.”
