Goa govt’s stamp duty error on 13 mining leases led to ₹108 cr loss: CAG

The CAG report, for the fiscal 2016-17, said that stamp duty of these 13 leases from January 5, 2015 to February 16, 2016 should have been ₹169.72 crore, as per proper calculations, instead of ₹66.45 crore that the state’s Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) collected.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has stated that the Goa government’s “incorrect working” of stamp duty on 13 mining leases had led to a loss of over ₹108 crore to the state exchequer.

Mining leases in the state were renewed in 2014 after the Supreme Court lifted a ban it had imposed in 2012 over allegations of illegal mining. (HT/Photo for representation)

The CAG report, for the fiscal 2016-17, said that stamp duty of these 13 leases from January 5, 2015 to February 16, 2016 should have been ₹169.72 crore, as per proper calculations, instead of ₹66.45 crore that the state’s Directorate of Mines and Geology (DMG) collected.

This, the report said, was a short recovery of stamp duty of ₹103.27 crore and another ₹5.16 crore as registration fee on this amount. “Thus, failure on the part of the DMG in assessing the correct stamp duty resulted in a short recovery of stamp duty and registration fee amounting to ₹108.43 crore,” the CAG report stated.

“Audit scrutiny of 76 mining lease deeds executed by the DMG with lease holders, and registered by civil registrars-cum-sub registrars, has revealed that the stamp duty was incorrectly worked out,” the CAG report said.