VAT assessment notices: Industrialists in Ludhiana seek more time to submit reply

Also demanded that the cases be disposed off on a deemed assessment basis by charging 1% tax on per lakh sales

Slamming the sales tax department over issuing VAT assessment notices to traders over pending cases from 2013-14, members of the Janta Nagar Small Scale Manufacturers Association (JNSSMA) on Wednesday demanded that the state government intervene and give them more time to submit a reply.

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President of JNSSMA, Jaswinder Thukral, said: “The sales tax department has waken up from its deep slumber after seven years. But, it is very difficult for traders to arrange documents of that time now. Many industrialists have shut down their units and some have even passed away. The state government should intervene and the last date for replying to the notices should be extended from November 20 to March 31, 2021.”

Thukral further demanded that the sales tax department should dispose of the cases on a deemed assessment basis by charging 1% tax on per lakh sales.

Earlier, the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal had announced that it will raise an agitation if the state government fails to come up with a one-time settlement (OTS) policy to resolve the pending cases.

General secretary of the beopar mandal, Sunil Mehra, said: “A state-level meeting of the beopar mandal will be held in Amritsar on December 13. We will announce an agitation against the government if an OTS policy isn’t announced by then. Over 70,000 notices have been served across Punjab and traders are facing harassment at the hands of department officials.”