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The Finance Ministry on Saturday said it has not issued any instructions to officials to ask taxpayers to pay maximum GST liability in cash.

There were reports that some GST officers are using unauthorised communication means such as phone calls, WhatsApp and messages asking taxpayers to discharge 'maximum tax liability' in 'cash'.

This was being done in order to ensure that targets for revenue collection from GST for the financial year are met, the reports suggested.

It is to clarify that neither the Government nor the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) have issued any such instructions to their field formations, a Finance Ministry statement said.

The statement added that taxpayers are free to utilise the Input Tax Credit available in their credit ledger, as permissible in law, to discharge their GST dues for the month of March, 2021 - the last month of this financial year.