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GST inspection drive continues, ₹2.45 cr unaccounted money found from 4 districts
Additional commissioner Pradeep Yadav said that 23 business establishments were inspected in Prayagraj, 10 in Kaushambi, 12 in Pratapgarh, and 29 in Fatehpur on Sunday.
PRAYAGRAJ Despite some resistance from traders, the state department of commercial taxes conducted surprise inspections at 74 locations in the Prayagraj division -- which includes districts of Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Pratapgarh, and Fatehpur -- on Sunday to check for shop owners evading the payment of Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Additional commissioner Pradeep Yadav said that 23 business establishments were inspected in Prayagraj, 10 in Kaushambi, 12 in Pratapgarh, and 29 in Fatehpur on Sunday. He added that action is being taken against shopkeepers running their business without proper registrations.
On the day, authorities seized ₹2.45 crore unaccounted money from the region. GST was not paid on this amount, said additional commissioner Hareram Chaurasia. Earlier, on Saturday too, officials conducted a drive to find GST evaders. Raiding and surveying teams targeted 48 places in Prayagraj division. The teams detected tax evasion of around ₹1.76 crore on Saturday.
During raids in several marketplaces, traders gathered to protest the drive. However, officials assured them that action will only be taken against those who are found evading taxes. Nevertheless, several traders kept their shops shut, said additional commissioner Monu Tripathi.
Traders threaten shutdown if raids continue
PRAYAGRAJ City-based traders under the banner of Akhil Bharatiya Udyog Vyapar Mandal have handed over a memorandum to Assistant Commissioner Pradeep Yadav against the ongoing inspections to check for GST evasion.
District president of traders’ body, Lalu Mittal, has alleged that the ongoing drive has instilled fear among small-scale traders. “Traders can’t give details of their tax and accounting if documents are seized by the department. Small traders are not able to do accounting themselves and are mostly depend on accountants for the work. Raids will also harm the traders who pay their taxes on time. Action should be taken against those traders who deal in cash and are doing business illegally instead of those who pay the GST,” said Mittal.
Meanwhile, city unit president Niraj Jaiswal urged the officials to go soft on traders as incidents of harassment will malign the image of the state government. Prayagraj vyapar mandal office-bearers, under president Vijay Arora and general secretary Sohail Ahmad, also expressed their disappointment over the drive. They said that the traders will meet GST officials on Monday in this regard. If the raids are not stopped, a shutdown will be observed by traders, they added.
