Times of
India: Ludhiana: Wednesday, September 04, 2019.
After
an RTI reply revealed that VAT refunds worth crores of rupees of Punjab
businessmen are still pending with the state taxation department, city-based
industrialists are up in arms against the department.
They
believe that the state government should order an enquiry and take action
against the officials responsible for causing the delay in processing of VAT
refunds.
As
per an an RTI query submitted last week, VAT refunds of businessmen to the tune
of Rs 305 crore are still pending in the state.
President
of Fasteners Suppliers Association, Rajkumar Singla, said, “It is shocking that
the state taxation department is sitting on VAT refunds worth hundred crores of
rupees even after the old taxation system has been long abolished. It is a
failure on the department’s part that the hard earned money of businessmen is
still lying with it and nothing is being done about it.”
He
pressed that the government must wake up and ensure timely processing of the
VAT refunds besides taking action against the defaulting officers, said Singla.
Narinder
Bhamra, president of Fasteners Manufacturers Association of India, said, “When
any businessman owes even Re 1 to any department, harshest of action is taken
against him/her, but now when such a big lapse has been committed by the
officials of the taxation department, no questions are being raised. What could
be more worse than the fact that even after knowing that the VAT refunds date
back to 2017, the refunds have not been processed.”
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