Latest news with #TaxationDepartment
Indian Express
13-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Punjab unearths Rs 1,549-cr billing scam, Ludhiana leads with Rs 900 cr fake invoices
Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise and Taxation Minister Harpal Singh Cheema announced on Monday that the investigative wings of the state's Taxation Department detected transactions worth Rs 1,549 crore involving bogus billing or paper transactions and successfully blocked fraudulent Input Tax Credit (ITC) claims amounting to Rs 108.79 crore in the current fiscal. Addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan here, Cheema provided details on the enforcement actions undertaken by the state Taxation Department. 'The department blocked an ITC worth Rs 21 crore by exposing fake invoices of Rs 900 crore in gold transactions in Ludhiana. Additionally, ITC worth Rs 12 crore was blocked after detecting fraudulent invoices amounting to Rs 226 crore in coal transactions across Mohali, Kharar and Kotkapura. Further enforcement actions led to the blocking of ITC worth Rs 75.79 crore by uncovering bogus transactions totalling Rs 423 crore in Ludhiana and Mandi Gobindgarh. In another major seizure, authorities intercepted a vehicle travelling from Ranchi to Ludhiana carrying 2 kg of gold without an invoice, and the investigation into this case is currently ongoing,' he divulged. Emphasising the significance of these enforcement actions, the minister highlighted the landmark statewide operation conducted on May 19. 'As part of the operation, 195 GST-registered firms, including 156 centrally registered firms and 39 state-registered firms, were physically verified, revealing fraudulent paper transactions amounting to Rs 423 crore and resulting in the blocking of ITC worth Rs 75.79 crore. A majority of the implicated firms were located in Ludhiana (100 firms) and Mandi Gobindgarh (72 firms).' Cheema said the department made notable arrests, including a high-profile case where an individual was apprehended for masterminding a racket involving fake invoicing and fraudulent ITC claims worth Rs 29.50 crore. The firm in question had made inward supplies of Rs 163 crore in 2023-24 and 2024-25 from over 60 bogus and cancelled firms, he said. The minister owed this success in carrying out these enforcement drives to the 15 modules developed under an agreement with IIT, Hyderabad, along with crucial inputs from the 'Bill Liyao Inaam Pao' scheme. Cheema announced that seven more such modules would be activated soon. 'So far, 4,880 consumers have collectively won Rs 2,89,15,295 by uploading their purchase bills on the 'Mera Bill' app. Meanwhile, discrepancies found in submitted bills under the GST Acts led to the imposition of penalties totalling Rs 9,07,06,102 and the successful recovery of Rs 7,20,92,230, he said. On GST collections, the minister said the AAP-led Punjab government collected Rs 62,733 crore in three years compared to Rs 63,042 crore collected by the Congress-led state government over five years. 'These figures speak for themselves,' Cheema said. He said that while the AAP government fostered trade growth and implemented stringent checks against tax evaders, previous administrations focused solely on amassing wealth for themselves. Taking a firm stance against opposition parties, Cheema criticised the Congress, the BJP, and the Akali Dal for their unfounded claims against the government's enforcement activities. 'These parties colluded with tax evaders in the past to siphon off the hard-earned money of honest taxpayers. Now that the government has tightened its grip on tax evasion, these parties are desperately trying to shield their allies from scrutiny,' he added.
Hans India
12-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Punjab traced Rs 1,549-crore transactions of bogus bills, says minister
Punjab Excise and Taxation Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Monday said the investigative wings of the state's Taxation Department have detected transactions of Rs 1,549 crore involving bogus billing or paper transactions and have successfully blocked fraudulent Input Tax Credit (ITC) claims amounting to Rs 108.79 crore in this fiscal. Cheema provided details to the media here on the enforcement action undertaken by the Taxation Department. He said the department has blocked the ITC of Rs 21 crore by exposing fake invoices of Rs 900 crore in gold transactions in Ludhiana. Additionally, Rs 12 crore of ITC was blocked after detecting fraudulent invoices of Rs 226 crore in coal transactions from Mohali, Kharar, and Kotkapura. Further enforcement actions led to the blocking of Rs 75.79 crore of ITC by uncovering bogus transactions of Rs 423 crore in Ludhiana and Mandi Gobindgarh. In another major seizure, authorities intercepted a vehicle travelling from Ranchi to Ludhiana carrying two kg of gold without an invoice, and the investigation into this case is currently ongoing. Emphasising the significance of these enforcement actions, the Finance Minister highlighted the landmark statewide operation conducted on May 19. As part of this operation, 195 GST-registered firms, including 156 centrally-registered firms and 39 state-registered companies, were physically verified, revealing fraudulent paper transactions amounting to Rs 423 crore, resulting in the blocking of Rs 75.79 crore of ITC. A majority of the implicated firms were located in Ludhiana (100 firms) and Mandi Gobindgarh (72 firms). Highlighting the state's enforcement actions under the GST regime, the minister said the department has made notable arrests, including a high-profile case where an individual was apprehended for masterminding a racket involving fake invoicing and fraudulent ITC claims of Rs 29.50 crore. The firm in question made inward supplies of Rs 163 crore in 2023-24 and 2024-25 from over 60 bogus and cancelled firms. Finance Minister Cheema credited the department's success in carrying out these enforcement drives to the 15 modules developed under an agreement with IIT Hyderabad, along with crucial inputs from the 'Bill Liyao Inaam Pao' scheme. He announced that seven more such modules would be activated soon. So far, 4,880 consumers have collectively won Rs 2,89,15,295 by uploading their purchase bills on the 'Mera Bill' app.
Hans India
23-04-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Punjab govt ‘looting' traders, says BJP
Chandigarh: The BJP blamed the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab on Tuesday for 'looting' traders in the state to cover expenses of its leaders in Delhi. 'The AAP government is now using the Taxation Department as a tool for extortion,' state BJP General Secretary Anil Sareen told the media here. 'There is a saying in Punjabi: 'Eat your own, bring ours too'. That's exactly the state of affairs under the AAP government,' he said. Sareen said the AAP government issued a new directive on April 18, instructing Deputy Commissioners in the Taxation Department to ensure that each Excise and Taxation Officer (ETO) conducts four inspections every month and resolves them within a one-month timeframe. 'This would result in around 1,200 inspections across the state each month. If an average penalty of Rs 8 lakh is imposed per inspection, the monthly collection would total Rs 96 crore and annually a staggering Rs 1,152 crore,' he said. He said this would undoubtedly lead to arbitrary actions by officials and promote a culture of inspector raj and open corruption. Accompanying Punjab BJP General Secretary Rakesh Rathore, state media head Vineet Joshi, joint cashier Sukhwinder Singh Goldy and former vice-chairman of the National Minority Commission, Manjit Singh Rai, Sareen further stated that the government has unofficially instructed officers that every inspection must yield fines of Rs 8 to Rs 10 lakh. 'This isn't merely harassment of traders, it's direct robbery of their hard-earned money,' he alleged. He also referred to the economic losses suffered due to the closure of the Shambhu border and criticised the state government for 'failing' to understand the challenges of a border state, choosing instead to intimidate the business community. Sareen warned that if the government does not roll back this directive and stop 'extorting' traders, the BJP will launch a statewide agitation in protest.
