A new online facility has been launched by the Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC) on 14th October. This new online service is called Automation of Central Excise & Services Tax (ACES).
 
This new service is a new centralised webbased software application of CBEC which provides us an online electronic interface with the department.

ACES aims to reduce paperwork, visits to the department and transaction costs while increasing accountability, responsiveness, efficiency and transparency in indirect tax administration.

The online facilities offered are many and include services such as registrations, filing of service tax returns, refund claims, filing of intimations, tracking, dispute resolutions and online viewing of our records. The Institute highly appreciates this service as it will make our work more efficient and linear.
 
Very few of our members have entered the excise and customs field of practice. However, now with ACES, I am sure it would attract more and more of our members to enter this field of practice, and would go a long way in widening the scope of professional opportunity. I hope that this service also enables our members to become more IT savvy while doing their work.