Manner of maintaining Electronic Cash Ledger introduced vide Customs (Electronic Cash Ledger) Regulations, 2022

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs notifies Customs (Electronic Cash Ledger) Regulations, 2022. The Regulations provides provisions relating to Manner of maintaining Electronic Cash Ledger, Manner of making payment from the electronic cash ledger and Refund.

Key points:

• Manner of maintaining Electronic Cash Ledger: 

1. 1. The electronic cash ledger shall be maintained in FORM ECL-1 on the common portal for each person in regard to every deposit made towards duty, interest, penalty, fee or any other sum payable by the person.
   2. The deposit made in the electronic cash ledger shall not accrue any interest.
   3. A unique identification number shall be generated at the common portal when a credit or debit, as the case may be, is made to the electronic cash ledger.
   4. The unique identification number relating to such debit or credit shall be indicated in the relevant Customs declaration.
   5. Any deposit into the electronic cash ledger shall be made by a person by generating a deposit challan in FORM-ECL-2 on the common portal. Provided that the deposit challan as so generated in FORM-ECL-2 shall be valid for a period of fifteen days.
   6. The deposit shall be made through internet banking through an authorised bank; National Electronic Fund Transfer or Real Time Gross Settlement from any bank or over the counter payment through an authorised bank.  Provided that the limit of the over the counter payment, in case of a person, shall not exceed ten thousand rupees in a day.
   7. Where the deposit is made through an authorised mode other than the internet banking through an authorised bank, a mandate form shall be generated along with the deposit challan on the common portal and the same shall be submitted to the bank from where the deposit is being made: Provided that the mandate form shall be valid for a period of fifteen days from the date of generation of the deposit challan.
   8. Upon use of an authorised mode to make deposit, on successful credit of the amount to the concerned government account maintained in the authorised bank, a Challan Identification Number shall be generated by the collecting bank and the same shall be indicated in the deposit challan as generated in FORM ECL-2.
   9. On receipt of the Challan Identification Number from the collecting bank, the said amount shall be credited to the electronic cash ledger of the person on whose behalf the deposit has been made and the common portal shall make available a receipt to this effect.
   10. Where the bank account of the person concerned or the person making the deposit on his behalf, is debited but no Challan Identification Number is generated or such number is generated but not communicated to the common portal, the said person may represent electronically through the common portal to the bank or electronic gateway through which the deposit was initiated.

• Manner of making payment from the electronic cash ledger:

1. 1. A person may use the amount available in the electronic cash ledger for making payment towards duty, interest, penalty, fee, or any other sum payable by such person or any duties of customs, including cesses and surcharges levied as duties of customs under any other law for the time being in force, through payment challan in FORM ECL-3 generated,-
      (i) by the customs automated system in accordance with provisions of the Act, rules or regulations made thereunder; or
      (ii) by the person on the basis of his own ascertainment of the amount of duty or sum payable by such person.
   2. The person shall select the payment challan so generated under sub-regulation (1) on the
      common portal for debit of the amount shown in the payment challan from electronic cash ledger of such
      person