EY launches SaaS-based tax automation tool for GST, DigiGST

NEW DELHI, INDIA: EY has launched DigiGST, its integrated GSP-ASP solution that provides organisations with end-to-end GST compliance support. DigiGST is hosted on the Microsoft Azure platform and combines EY’s tax domain expertise, technology capabilities and deep Sector knowledge.

The GST Network (GSTN) will be the technology backbone of the new GST regime and it is estimated that over 8 million taxpayers will upload in excess of 3 billion invoices in a month on the GSTN.

“Today, organisations are faced with the challenge of ensuring robust GST compliance and governance while their internal and external systems stabilize, as they prepare for the GST rollout. Our DigiGST solution is purpose-built to offer timely GST compliance of a company’s entire business ecosystem including supply-side vendors and delivery, including distribution partners. This solution is designed to be scalable and flexible to handle the large data volumes expected to flow through the system in traffic patterns that are likely to be uneven and unpredictable. DigiGST is also highly customisable with a rules engine that can adjust to a company’s sector and structural complexities including tax positions”, says Harishanker Subramaniam, Partner and Indirect Tax Leader, EY India.

The DigiGST uses robust in-memory multilevel reconciliation for timely error detection and appropriate credit availment to taxpayers thus reducing their working capital blockage.

EY’s GST Suvidha Provider (GSP) will connect with the GSTN system seamlessly over a secured leased-line and upload taxpayer data in JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) format using Application Programming Interface (APIs) and the license key accorded by the GSTN. EY Application Service Provider (ASP) will provide all the value-added services to make GST compliance easier.

Bertrand Launay, Chief Operating Officer, Microsoft India, said, “Microsoft Azure cloud offers the most consistent, familiar and stable environment through local datacenters for EY’s intelligent tax automation tool, DigiGST. It ensures protection of business-critical data with managed cloud backups and disaster recovery as a built- in service.”

DigiGST offers role-based access control privileges to prevent any individual other than the one assigned by the company leadership to interact with the complete dataset. This solution uses data virtualisation to prevent data manipulation and theft by individuals with access to the solution interface.

EY’s two ISO 27001 certified Security Operations Centers (SOCs) in Chennai and Trivandrum with highly mature detection and response capabilities will provide 24/7 monitoring and control of data security as part of the DigiGST service offering.