Finance Ministry executes amnesty scheme for service tax defaulters

20 May 2013 Evaluate

In order to garner more revenue from indirect tax, the finance ministry has implemented one-time amnesty scheme, Voluntary Compliance Encouragement Scheme (VCES), for service tax defaulters to pay their due without any penalty or late payment charges. As per the scheme, a defaulter may declare his due tax liabilities, including the cess charges, for a period between October 1, 2007 and December 31, 2012 and pay it to the government after making a truthful declaration and can avoid penalty, interest or any other penal proceedings.

The VCES scheme came into force after passage of Finance Bill on May 10 and can be availed by a service tax defaulter by this year end. The scheme was introduced by Finance Minister while presenting budget for 2013-14. The Finance Ministry has also decided to reject any enquiry or investigation against an evader, if he comes forward to make truthful declaration under this. A person may make a declaration to the designated authority on or before the December 31, 2013 and have to pay not less than 50 percent of the tax dues on or before December 31, this year and the rest by June 30, 2014.

According to the government estimates, service tax evaders have deprived the exchequer of over Rs 9,872 crore during April-December, 2012. However, it has detected 4,133 cases of service tax in the same period and has realized over Rs 1,969 crore from the defaulters. Further the financial bill noted that if any person who has furnished return and disclosed his true liability, but has not paid the disclosed amount of service tax or any part thereof, will not be eligible to make declaration for the period covered by the said return.

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