The Centre on Monday extended the last date for filing Goods and Services Tax Returns-2 for July to November 30, the Finance Ministry said in a tweet. The last date for filing of GSTR-3 for July was also extended, to December 11.

Earlier, the last date for filing GSTR-2 was October 30, and for GSTR-3 it was November 10. The ministry said the move to push the dates forward would help 30.81 lakh taxpayers. The government said a notification about the changes in the dates would be released shortly.

A group of ministers on Sunday proposed relaxing the GST rates for businesses eligible for the composition scheme. The panel suggested a tax rate of 1% for manufacturers and restaurants with annual turnover of Rs 1 crore or less. They currently pay 2% and 5% of their turnover as GST.

By opting for the composition scheme, small taxpayers can avoid tedious paperwork and pay GST at a fixed rate of their turnover.