Introduction
The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) had notified the Companies (Incorporation) Third Amendment Rules, 2019[1] on 29 March 2019 which introduced the e-form INC-35 [Application for Goods and services tax Identification number, employees state Insurance corporation registration pLus Employees provident fund organisation registration (AGILE)]. The said AGILE form aims at bringing a single window where applicants can make applications under the Goods and Services Tax (GST), Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) and Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC).
At present, the application for incorporation of a Company is made in e-form INC-32 (SPICe) along with e-Memorandum of Association (e-MOA) in Form No. INC-33 and e-Articles of association (e-AOA) in Form no. INC-34. Through e-form INC-32, the applicants can apply for PAN and TAN and now with the deployment of e-form INC-35, applications can be made for GST, EPFO and ESIC while incorporation of the Company.
This is a welcoming change brought about by the MCA wherein the incorporation process has been made hassle-free and the applicants can apply for various registrations while incorporating the Company. Previously, even after obtaining the certificate of incorporation Companies had to apply for registrations under the GST, EPFO and ESIC and subsequent approval. This proved to be a setback for companies and they couldn’t actually commence operation. However, with the introduction of the AGILE form the Ease of doing Business in India initiative has now been further enhanced.
How does this work?
For incorporation of the Company, applicants have to upload the requisite incorporation related linked e-forms i.e., INC-32, INC-33, INC-34 and INC-35. Thereafter, on approval of the same by the MCA, the Certificate of Incorporation, PAN and TAN is issued. Subsequently, the requisite information for GST, EPFO and ESIC (whichever service is availed) that has been filed in e-form INC-35 is forwarded to the concerned departments for its approval.
Thus, there are no repetitive submissions of incorporation related documents for obtaining registrations under GST, EPFO and ESIC.
Practical issues faced
Though this new amendment has made the incorporation process stress-free, applicants still face practical issues in this respect. Some of the issues are as follows:
- Companies have to provide a registered office address compulsorily for the AGILE form: While incorporating a company, applicants have an option to provide a correspondence address instead of a registered office address. However, they do have to obtain a registered office address within 30 days from the date of incorporation of the Company. This helps applicants a sufficient time to set up a registered office in case they do not have one at the time of incorporation. However, for the purpose of filing the AGILE form it is mandatory to have a registered office address as the form will only accept the address provided in the SPICe i.e., INC-32, or the correspondence address has to be the same as the address of the registered office.
- Principal place of business should be the same as the Registered Office of the proposed Company: Applicants willing to apply for GSTIN/Establishment code as issued by EPFO/Employer Code as issued by ESIC at the time of incorporating company, have to make sure that the principal place of business is the same as the Registered Office Address of the proposed Company. Thus, Companies intending to have the principal place of business different from the Registered Office address cannot avail this facility. They have to follow the existing registration procedure under the GST, EPFO and ESIC.
- Mandatory filing of AGILE form: Applying for GSTIN/ Establishment code as issued by EPFO/Employer Code as issued by ESIC at the time of incorporating company is optional. However, applicants have to still file the e-form as it is a linked e-form which accompanies the SPICe form for incorporation. This can prove to be an unnecessary compliance requirement for applicants who do not want to apply for GST, EPFO and ESIC registrations at the time of incorporation.
- Resubmission of GST Application through the GST portal: In case of any error in the GST Application and the same has been sent for resubmission, applicants have to resubmit the application through the GST portal only. Further, if the TRN expires, a fresh application for GST shall have to be made through the GST portal too.
Conclusion
The introduction of this form surely proves to be beneficial for stakeholders however it still does not cover all the general registration requirements for a newly incorporated company such as Professional Tax, Trade License, Shop and Establishments, etc. Additionally, the MCA also has to look into the practical issue that are being faced and incorporate the changes to provide a seamless service.
Authors: Alivia Das and Ashwin Bhat
Reference: [1] http://www.mca.gov.in/Ministry/pdf/companiesINC3rdAmendmentRules_30032019.pdf
