Chandigarh May 5: Haryana Cabinet which met under the Chairmanship of Chief Minister, Mr. Manohar Lal today approved amendment in the Haryana Value Added Tax Act, 2003, to enable the Government to extend the time limits specified in, or prescribed or notified under the Act, so that assessments for the year 2016-17 or other proceedings that could not be finalized or initiated due to lockdown could be completed. The amendment shall be carried out by promulgation of an Ordinance.

As per the amendment in the Haryana Value Added Tax Act, 2003 a new Section 18-A will be inserted on the same lines as in Chapter-VII of the Ordinance notified by the Government of India. With this insertion of a new section, the State Government, by notification, will be enabled to extend the time limits specified in, or prescribed or notified in the HVAT Act in respect of actions which could not be completed or complied with due to force majeure. The proposed amendment also empowers the government to give retrospective effect to the notification for extending the time limit.

Since the State Legislative Assembly is not in session and there is no likelihood of holding of the session in near future, therefore, the amendment would be carried out by promulgation of an Ordinance.