Registration of a manufacturer will be cancelled automatically if excise duty returns are not filed for six months, as per the latest government proposal.

In case of a service provider, the registration will be cancelled automatically if return is not filed for 12 months, said the draft of the common excise duty and service tax form on which the Revenue Department has sought comments from stakeholders by April 30.

"Cancellation of the registration can be done either on the request of assessee when he surrenders the registration or suo motto by the department after following the principles of natural justice," it said.

In order to streamline the process of registration, the Central Board of Excise and Customs ( CBEC) has proposed amendments to the Central Excise Rules 2002 and Service Tax Rules 1994.

Since cancellation is not punitive, CBEC's draft said, "it will not debar the person from making fresh application for registration when he desires to restart the business".

In the Budget, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had said as a measure of harmonisation between central excise and service tax, a number of alignments have been made.

"These include a common simplified registration form and a common return for central excise and service tax, to be named EST-1," he had said.

The excise duty return is filed on monthly basis, while service tax return is filed on half yearly basis.