Finance ministry to take strict action against service tax evader

17 Aug 2011 Evaluate

Over the possibility of large scale service tax evasion, the Ministry of Finance is expected to take toughest measures against the people who are not filing tax returns. The ministry is expected to seize property of assesses for not filing tax returns, to ensure the compliance with law.

As of now only 6 lakh of registered service tax assesses have filed their returns, which indicates a good possibility of large-scale evasion of service tax. There are around 15 lakh registered service tax assesses. The intelligence wing of indirect taxes body, the Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence data shows that the evasion in service tax has increased by almost 70%.

The CBEC has designed an action plan which includes strict measures against the evaders and it also had instructed to field official to take all possible steps to augment service tax collections.

In a letter to field official S Dutt Majumdar, Chairman, CBEC said, 'It has been observed that the said provisions (provisional attachment of property) have not been gainfully utilized by the field formations. The board desires that the use of the said provisions should be increased and these measures should be enforced more strictly'.  The CBEC is expected to lose around Rs 37,000 crore because of removal of custom and excise duties on petroleum products, and CBEC is looking to make up for this loss from other resources. The service tax is seen as a source which can help CBEC to make for the revenue loss.  

In the current financial year, the government has budgeted around Rs 82,000 crore from service tax an increase in collection by 18.1% from Rs 69,400 crore collected in the last fiscal year. The large service providers from service sectors like construction, BPO, IT, telecom and financial services could face the heat as tax official are set to go after the big players.

To deal with the tax evasion, the CBEC is expected to take strict measures such as investigation of books and provisional attachment of property etc. '(These measures) are intended to make perceptible difference in the shortest possible period while also carrying on the momentum to the subsequent year,' Chairman of CBEC said in a letter to field officials.

The CBEC has also asked the field officials to dispose of high-value cases pending adjudication at various levels. 'I expect all major cases involving revenue in excess of Rs 1 crore to be finalized in the next six months,' Majumdar said.

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