GST a nightmare on Day 1: Shops clueless, small businesses scramble

Shops, pharmacies in Mumbai, New Delhi scramble to fight confusion and issue invoices in new regime

The goods and services tax (GST) proved to be a nightmare for small traders and businessmen on its first day. Shops and pharmacies in Mumbai, New Delhi and other cities scrambled to issue invoices under the new system.

Organised sector players such as Big Bazaar and DMart were ready to issue GST invoices from Friday midnight, the hour at which the new indirect tax was rolled out. But not everyone was. At the outlet of electronics retailer Croma at Prabhadevi in central Mumbai, customers were still being charged value-added tax (VAT) on Saturday afternoon. Officials said the store would switch