Pre-GST disputes to be settled by September 30

Dharamsala, July 4

The Commissioner of State Taxes and Excise, Himachal Pradesh, Ajay Sharma, today directed the department officials to settle all pending taxation cases of the pre-Goods and Services Tax (GST) era by September 30. Thousands of cases of the pre-GST era were still lying pending in HP.

The Commissioner chaired a meeting of Kangra district at Dharamsala. He directed all field functionaries to take up all pending legacy cases under the HP (Legacy Cases Resolution) Scheme 2019, launched by the department to settle all pending assessment cases under the HP VAT Act, Central Sales Tax Act and other allied Acts.

He asked the officials to make the settlement scheme a success so that the lean period due to Covid-19 may be utilised for liquidating all pending legacy cases by contacting the businesses. Under the scheme, there is a waiver of the full interest of 18 per cent and the penalty, which could range from 25 per cent to 150 per cent of the taxes due. In lieu of this, the government was levying only 10 per cent settlement fee and if nothing was due, the pending case would be settled on the basis of a Settlement Application Form launched by the department free of cost, he said. — TNS