‘English only’ rule for GST appeal sparks protest from tax practitioners

Indore: The Madhya Pradesh Tax Law Bar Association and the Commercial Tax Practitioners Association (CTPA) launched a protest against a new procedural mandate requiring all GST appeal documents to be translated into English before being presented to the Appellate Tribunal.Advocate A K Lakhotia, president of the MP Tax Law Bar Association, said, "Forcing taxpayers in a Hindi-speaking state to translate every legal document into English is a direct violation of the spirit of accessible justice. Most small and medium traders lack the resources for professional translation services, which leads to an unnecessary financial burden and delays in getting relief. This rule effectively treats language as a hurdle to justice rather than a tool for communication."Terming Rule 23 of the GST Appellate Tribunal (GSTAT) Procedure Rules "impractical" and a "financial blow" to taxpayers in the Hindi heartland, the associations submitted a detailed memorandum to Union Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday.The memorandum, also marked to the GST Council and state tax commissioners, argued that the mandate ignored the linguistic reality of Madhya Pradesh, a "Region A" state under the Official Languages Act, 1963. Since the majority of state-level GST orders and documents were originally issued in Hindi, the rule forced an unnecessary and costly translation layer upon the appellant, tax experts said.