GST enforcement must adhere to statutory conditions,...

GST enforcement must adhere to statutory conditions, constitutional fairness and the rule of law rather than revenue targets. Input tax credit requires a reliable evidentiary trail establishing actual physical movement of goods, while bona fide purchasers and genuine recipients should not bear the consequences of a supplier's tax-payment default. Demand proceedings for fraud or wilful suppression require the essential statutory elements; absent those elements, such proceedings are unsustainable. Tax demands must also remain within the statutory scope of supply. A valid levy requires certainty regarding the taxable event, person liable, rate and measure of tax; ambiguity in any of these elements defeats the levy. Administrative authorities should address bona fide compliance errors proportionately and act as faithful trustees of statutory integrity.