Rs 34L fine slapped on GST evaders in Oct

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 2

The Excise and Taxation Department, UT, has recovered a fine of Rs 34 lakh from Goods and Services Tax (GST) evaders last month.

Mandip Singh Brar, Deputy Commissioner-cum-Excise and Taxation Commissioner, said in order to plug evasion of tax, the department had started enforcement drives, which include roadside checking and checking of e-Way bills, and imposed a penalty of Rs 34 lakh on evaders in October.

Brar said the UT GST Department had accomplished 94.65 per cent returns compliance in the current financial year, up to September 30, which is highest in India, 99.97 per cent in 2019-20 and 100 per cent in 2017-18 and 2018-19.

He said the GSTINs of 542 taxpayers, who were generating e-Way bills but not filing their GSTR-3B returns for the months of December, 2019, and January, 2020, had been blocked. “The blocking of e-Way bills has restarted from October 15 and is applicable on those taxpayers whose turnover is more than Rs 5 crore,” he added.

The department has calculated an interest amounting to Rs 13.24 crore on late payment of voluntary taxes for 2017-18, 2018-19 and 2019-20 by taxpayers. This interest amount has been calculated on the net tax liability after allowing input tax credit and the department has initiated recovery proceedings by issuing statutory notices to the taxpayers for deposit of interest on late payment of voluntary taxes.

The department has issued notices to 100 taxpayers on the basis of mismatches between GSTR-3B Vs. GSTR-1 of Rs 55 crore.