Firms issuing fake bills summoned

Mukesh Tandon

Tribune News Service

Panipat, January 9

The Excise and Taxation Department has started identifying companies in Panipat which have used bogus bills issued by 21 non-existent firms.

The department will serve notices on these units under the GST Act to recover the amount. The department had unearthed the bogus billing scam of Rs470 crore, with tax evasion to the tune of Rs49 crore in the city.

The handloom city, which had been recognised globally for its handloom products, had hit the headlines when the GST scam of Rs920 crore was unearthed.

The Central department unearthed a scam of Rs450 crore on Friday and the state department unearthed a scam of Rs470 crore on Saturday.

The state department identified 21 non-existent companies which were found registered on the basis of fake documents. The Central department has identified two companies which had issued bogus bills of Rs426 crore without moving goods.

More than 250 firms in the city were on the radar of the department. It was disclosed during investigation that most Panipat companiesy which used bogus bills dealt in yarn.

Raja Ram Nain, Deputy Excise and Taxation Commissioner (Sales), and Deputy Commissioner State Tax (GST), said summons for recovery were being issued to those firm owners who had used bogus bills. “We want to recover the amount from companies. If any firm does not pay up, action will be initiated against it under provisions of the GST Act,” he said.

“Our teams have started physical verification of firms registered after the GST Act came into force,” he added.