Transport Dept’s apathy cost state Rs 120 cr: CAG

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, April 24

The state government has suffered a revenue loss of Rs 119.96 crore due to non/short-realisation and under assessment of token tax, special road tax, registration fee, permit fee, driving licence fee, penalties and composite fee under the National Permit Scheme in 227 cases by the State Transport Department.

Evasion of passenger and goods tax in 20 cases caused a revenue loss of Rs 60.81 crore while non/short-realisation and evasion of token tax and composite fee caused a loss of Rs 31.44 crore in 99 cases as per the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) for the year ending  March 2015.

In 50 cases of non/short-realisation of Special Roads Tax, the audit teams detected short/non-realisation of Rs 24.30 crore and the department accepted under-assessment and other deficiencies of Rs 26.34 crore in 349 cases and said Rs 6.06 crore had been realised in 291 cases.

The report further pointed out that arrears amounting to Rs 98.35 crore were pending collection since 1971-72. The department supplied information about only 18 out 69 cases and out of this taxes amounting to Rs 30.91 crore were pending recovery for more than five years.

Special Road Tax (SRT) amounting to Rs 20.47 crore was payable by the Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation from April 2013 to March 2014 and Rs 91.15 lakh in 167 cases was recoverable from the private state carriage (PSC)  as on March 2015, which was neither being deposited by the HRTC and owners of the PSCs nor demanded by the department, resulting in non-recovery of SRT of Rs 21.38 crore. 

The report said token tax and entry tax amounting to Rs 17.73 crore in respect of 22,527 vehicles for 2010-11 to 2013-14 was neither demanded by the department nor paid by these vehicle owners. 

Additional goods tax of Rs 59.90 crore was neither paid by two cement companies which had transported limestone and shale from mining areas to cement plants for manufacturing of cement and clinker, nor was it demanded by the department, resulting in evasion of revenue and caused loss to that extent.