Hyderabad: Cash-strapped Telangana government shows laxity in netting tax evaders

Hyderabad: The State Commercial Tax department which had come up with the idea of utilising 'informers' for detecting cases of tax evasion in 2015, had failed to serve its intended purpose.

If the Commercial Taxes department acts on what it had planned more than 5 years back, can fill its coffers in the testing times of Covid-19 pandemic with thousands of crores.

According to an RTI activist, following an order from the department, he decided to help out with whatever information he could after believing in G O seriously. According to the reward of 10 % that was promised the said RTI activist submitted information in 2015 about 1,260 businessmen which could have fetched the government at least Rs 2,000 crore and a reward of up to Rs 6.5 crore to him (single informer), but to his surprise, the department showed no interest at all.

"I believe that the department failed to access to the cases which I had had submitted. I only received Rs 5,000 in a single case and till now no further information on it, despite regular correspondence through letters," said the activist on condition of anonymity.

No Commercial Taxes Minister: Response from Secretariat

On June 16, he once again wrote a letter addressed to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao who is now holding the portfolio of the Commercial Tax. The letter which reached the Secretariat returned with reply 'No such Minister' (Commercial Tax) written and stamped by the section officer. "The portfolio lies with the Chief Minister and I was surprised when the letter I sent through speed-post returned with 'no such Minister'.

While the copies marked to Vigilance Commissioner is yet to reach him. I came to conclusion that the department which came up with idea of taking help of 'informers' failed to act upon its own G O. This kind of irresponsible behavior brought the State with surplus funds in 2014 to ending up announcing deduction of salaries and pension," he bemoaned.

The information provided by the 'informer' include 20 documents to Commissioner, Commercial Tax department, 44 to CTO (Commercial Tax Officer), Gowliguda (in 2015), 1 containing details of 546 businessmen to Deputy Commissioner, Saroor nagar and Hyderbad Rural, 6 to Deputy Commissioner, Saroornagar, 125 to Deputy Commissioner, Hyderabad (Jeedimetla Circle), 1 document containing details with regard to 264 businessmen to Deputy Commissioner, Medak, 8 documents to CTO, Macheryala (in 2016). These totaled to 211 documents with regard to 1263 businessmen.