GST import credit: Bills of Entry are not subject to the invoice time-bar for claiming IGST input tax credit.
Section 16(4) imposes a time bar for claiming input tax credit in respect of invoices or debit notes, whereas the CGST Act and related rules expressly identify a Bill of Entry as the prescribed document for availing IGST credit on imports. The statutory definitions treating IGST on imports as input tax and the express omission of Bills of Entry from Section 16(4) indicate that the temporal limitation applies to domestic invoices and debit notes only, and does not extend to import-related Bills of Entry. (AI Summary)