HC Bar paid parking under excise scanner

Ramkrishan Upadhyay
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, November 13

The paid parking being run by the Punjab and Haryana High Court Bar Association on public land and the rent it is receiving from shops are under the scanner of the Excise and Taxation Department, UT.

Sources said after the issue came to its notice, the department had started a probe to find out whether the GST was being paid to it by the contractor running the parking lot. The sources said 18 per cent GST was applicable to parking lot services and the contractor should pay the tax from collections without fail.

An official of the department said parking lot services fell under the GST law. It was mandatory for a person or agency running a paid parking lot to register with the department and pay the applicable tax. Likewise, for all commercial spaces that were on rent, the GST would be applicable at 18 per cent on the taxable value.

Of the 18 per cent, 9 per cent is the share of the UT Excise Department, while 9 per cent goes to the CGST kitty.

A report published in these columns on November 11 had highlighted that the income of the Bar from the paid parking lot and by way of renting out shops and kiosks was in lakhs per month. The parking is being run on public land adjoining the Rock Garden and opposite the High Court museum. According to a rough estimate, the income from the parking lot is between Rs 45,000 and Rs 60,000 daily. Around 1,500 and 2,000 cars are parked in the lot daily.

RK Chaudhary, Assistant Excise and Taxation Commissioner, said the department was looking into the matter and a notice would be sent to the persons concerned soon to get their response before taking any action.

The UT Administration is yet to take any action on the paid parking being run on public land. While MC officials claimed that the parking was on UT land, the departments concerned of the UT are yet to initiate any action in the matter.