Interest waiver scheme for traders achievesonly 14.19% target

Lucknow: Worried over the poor response to its much publicised interest waiver scheme that has been in place since March, the commercial tax department has directed officials to make sincere efforts to ensure 100% recovery of tax arrears through the scheme that will continue till September 2

Lucknow: Worried over the poor response to its much publicised interest waiver scheme that has been in place since March, the commercial tax department has directed officials to make sincere efforts to ensure 100% recovery of tax arrears through the scheme that will continue till September 2.

HT Image

The department has told its senior officials that the important scheme announced by the state government has not achieved the desired results so far because of poor monitoring at their level.

“Despite all the instructions in the past, only ₹44.19 crore have been received from defaulters till July 23, which is only 14.25% of the target even as the scheme will close on September 3,” additional commissioner (law) Sunil Rai has said in a circular issued to all zonal additional commissioners.

He told officials to make point-wise review of the progress of the scheme trying to tap more and more defaulters and encourage them to clear their tax arrears availing of the scheme that sought to exempt the interest on the principal amount.

Earlier, last month the state government had extended the scheme for traders, cable operators and other dealers for three months more in view of the continuing Covid-19 pandemic in the state.

The scheme named one-time settlement scheme (OTS) sought to waive off the interest on the tax liabilities created against dealers registered under UP Sales Tax Act, Central Sales Tax Act, UP Entertainment Tax Act, UP Cable Television Network Act up to December 2020 provided defaulters paid the full principal amount at one go.

The scheme was launched originally for three months from March 3 to June 2.