Document Identification Number (DIN): In order to protect GST taxpayers from any harassment at the hands of errant tax officials, the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), is going to use a unique number in every communication with taxpayers from Friday. Initially, the department will use this unique document identification number (DIN) mostly for investigation related communications such as arrest warrants and search authorizations and it will be later expanded to cover all the communication issued by the officers of the board. All the communication issued on or after November 8 without a computer-generated document identification number will be invalid and deemed to have never been issued, said the CBIC in a letter issued to all the top officers on Tuesday.

The new document identification number to be used by the CBIC is similar to the one used by the CBDT since October 1 this year. GST taxpayers and recipients of summons, search warrants will be able to verify the genuineness of the document by visiting the CBIC’s website.

“The board in exercise of its powers under section 168(1) of the CGST Act, 2017 and Section 37B of the Central Excise Act, 1944 directs that no search authorization, summons, arrest memo, inspection notices and letters issued in the course of any inquiry shall be issued by any officer under the Board to a taxpayer or any other person, on or after the 8th day of November, 2019 without a computer generated Document Identification Number (DIN) being duly quoted prominently in the body of such communication,” said the CBIC in a letter issued on November 5, which was reviewed by the Financial Express Online.

The letter which was issued by the GST Investigation wing under the department of revenue, ministry of finance also made it clear that no communication issued on or after November 8 will be valid without a system-generated DIN number.

“The board also directs that any specified communication which does not bear the electronically generated DIN and is not covered by the exceptions mentioned in para 3 shall be treated as invalid and shall be deemed to have never been issued,” said the CBIC.

No communication from the CBIC will be valid if it doesn’t bear a CBIC-DIN number.

What is Document Identification Number (CBIC-DIN) in GST

1. In order to prevent the harassment of genuine taxpayers at the hands of tax officials, the government has decided to create a proper audit trail of all the communications issued by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs.

2. The 20 digit unique Document Identification Number (DIN or CBIC-DIN) will be computer generated and it will be prominently displayed in the body of the document issued by the officers under the board.

3. Only authorised officers will be entitled to generate CBIC-DIN from the utility developed by the Directorate of Data Management (DDM) hosted on the online portal of the CBIC.

4. Use of CBIC-DIN will be compulsory from November 8, 2019 and no communication without it will be valid.