The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) is a statutory body and the apex authority in India for administering indirect taxes, functioning under the Department of Revenue in the Ministry of Finance. Its historical roots trace back to the Customs and Central Excise Department set up by the British Governor General in 1855. The institution was formally established under the Central Boards of Revenue Act, 1963.
The CBIC's direct predecessor, the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), was created in 1964 when the Central Board of Revenue was split into two separate bodies to make the administration of direct and indirect taxes more manageable; the other body was the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
The Board's primary function is the formulation of policy and the levy and collection of indirect taxes, including Customs duties and the Goods and Services Tax (GST). It administers the Customs Act, 1962, and oversees GST administration, which involves issuing clarifications, managing registration, and ensuring compliance with return filing requirements. The CBIC also enforces trade facilitation measures and anti-smuggling operations. For instance, it administers the Customs (Administration of Rules of Origin under Trade Agreements) Rules, 2020 (CAROTAR), to prevent the misuse of Free Trade Agreements.
A significant recent change occurred when the CBEC was renamed the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs in 2018. This change reflected its expanded mandate following the nationwide rollout of the GST in 2017, which consolidated multiple central and state indirect taxes into a unified system. The CBIC remains the administrative backbone for all central indirect tax laws.