The Delhi government’s trade and taxes department has initiated investigations against the city’s 10 big traders for tax evasion and will file chargesheet against them in the court in April after not
The Delhi government’s trade and taxes department has initiated investigations against the city’s 10 big traders for tax evasion and will file chargesheet against them in the court in April after not being “satisfied” with the role of the police in punishing the VAT defaulters. This is for the first time that the government’s VAT department has invoked its investigative powers equivalent to that of a police station as laid out in the Delhi VAT Act to probe cases pertaining to tax evasion.
Sources said that the police adopts “indifferent” attitude in some cases referred by the VAT department. Under Section 92 of the act, the VAT commissioner can appoint an investigative officer, which has power similar to station house officer (SHO) of the Delhi police, to probe roles of suspected VAT defaulters.
“The department recently appointed its VAT officials as investigative officers, on the lines of the police, to probe the roles of 10 traders who were suspected of tax evasions and fraud. Investigations will be completed soon and the department will file chargesheet against these traders in the court in April,” they said.
Sources added that in future, the VAT officials will also play the role of investigative officers to take up tax evasion cases in the national capital where the department needs to do the same.
The VAT department, headed by deputy chief minister and finance minister Manish Sisodia, has focused on plugging loopholes to prevent tax evasion so that the revenue could be increased.
The department has managed to get Rs 19,000 crore so far against its target of Rs 21,000 crore, which the officials claimed will be achieved by the end of March.
