Trust-based eway bill system can ease logistics

Rather than being seen as an enforcement tool, eway bills can be reimagined as a facilitator of seamless logistics, emphasising trust-based compliance and advanced technology to minimise disruption in bona fide trade, the Economic Survey has suggested.

- MONIKA YADAV

The bill is a mandatory electronic document to track the movement of goods valued above %50,000 under the goods and services tax (GST) regime.

The Survey proposes policy designs, relying on trust-based models such as a “trusted dealer” framework, in which taxpayers with strong compliance records face minimal physical checks. Businesses that comply with this enjoy greater certainty in movements of goods.

The Survey also recommends a wider adoption of technologies like eseals, electronic locking systems, and vehicle tracking integrated with eway bills for secure, end-to-end monitoring without routine road stoppages.