The Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) has detected GST evasion of Rs 1.36 lakh crore so far during the current financial year involving “voluntary payment” of Rs 14,108 crores. The investigation agency under Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime has been working on identifying “masterminds and syndicates” operating across the country since June this year after having carried out an anti-evasion drive earlier, it said, adding that cases have been booked using data analysis aided by advanced technical tools.
The DGGI statement comes as several tax notices have been sent to companies under GST. Over the last few months, companies in sectors ranging from fast-moving consumer goods to automobiles to mattresses makers and insurance companies have received a spate of show cause-cum-demand notices from the GST authorities for issues relating to “short payment” of taxes, “wrongful availment” of credit and mismatch of details in their returns dating back to 2017-18. In addition, online gaming companies and casinos have also received GST demand notices.
“Since June 2023, special emphasis has been to identify and apprehend the masterminds and disrupt syndicates, operating across the country. Cases have been booked using data analysis aided by advanced technical tools which lead to the arrest of masterminds. These masterminds/syndicates used gullible persons and enticed them with job / commission / bank loan etc. to extract their KYC documents which were for creation of fake / shell firms/companies without their knowledge. In some cases, KYCs were used with the knowledge of the concerned person by paying them small pecuniary benefits,” it said.
In the first six months of the current financial year, 1040 Cases involving GST evasion of around Rs 14,000 crore input tax credit have been detected and a total of 91 fraudsters have been arrested. In November 2020, the DGGI had initiated a special drive against fake ITC fraudsters to plug the leakage in government revenue. Under that drive, it has so far registered more than 6000 cases, involving detection of over Rs 57,000 crore GST evasion and arrest of 500 persons.
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