GST evasion: 12 furnaces inspected, 60 vehicles impounded in at Mandi Gobindgarh

Chandigarh, August 28

In continuation with the ongoing special drive to detect the Goods and Services Tax (GST) evasion in the iron and steel industry, the mobile wings of the tax department on Monday inspected 12 furnaces and impounded 60 vehicles during a surprise check at Mandi Gobindgarh.

Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Harpal Cheema said this operation was conducted by the mobile wings of the State Investigation and Preventive Unit (SIPU), Ropar, Patiala, Shambhu and Jalandhar.

“The raid was focused on scrutinising vehicles carrying iron scraps and finished goods. Most vehicles lacked the necessary e-way bills corresponding to the transported goods”, he added.

The minister said the investigations revealed that the purchases were made from non-compliant entities that had not contributed taxes to the government treasury. After an inquiry, these vehicles could face fines exceeding to Rs 2 crore, said Cheema.

Cheema said repeated reports of GST evasion by certain firms had drawn the attention of the department. Clear directions had been issued to the Finance Commissioner (Taxation) Vikas Pratap and Tax Commissioner Arshdeep Singh Thind to randomly plan such surprise inspections to nab the tax evaders.