Maharashtra takes steps to check sales tax evasion

Sales tax department has tied up with border check posts to electronically tag its database to radio frequency detectors installed at border check posts

The Maharashtra Government proposes to check wide scale sales tax non compliance among traders dealing in goods either imported to the state or exported out of state to another.

As per the proposal the sales tax department has tied up with border check posts to electronically tag its database to the radio frequency detectors installed at border check posts.

This will update its automatically update and  collect data on total amount of goods traded  across borders. While there will be no physical verification , but the vehicles carrying goods will not get clearance unless their records get a green signal from the sales tax department  at the boarder check post gates .

The state government launched  the RFID technology at the state's border checkposts some time with two primary goals –smooth and efficient navigation of vehicles an visitors , reducing clearance time for commercial vehicles . Now this electronic data is being used  to assist sales tax and excise department in revenue collection right at the entry point.

According to official sources, more than e  than  63  lakh  goods  and  passenger carriers  cross  the  state  of  Maharashtra annually.  The RFID network has been developed in the state following the  guidelines  of Ministry  of  Transport  in  Highways,  to  ensure smooth flow of traffic on all the roads with minimum  blockage.

As per the procedure, RFID cards  made available to truckers at all RTOs to expedite the process of registering their vehicle details and collecting the RFID stickers  after the registration process.

The sticker will be pasted on the windshield of the vehicle, which will contain a chip that stores massive data including vehicle's registration details, name of the owner, the engine chassis number, details and validity of fitness and PUC certificates, details of taxes paid for the goods that are being transported and other data.

These trucks  will pass through huge metal frame detectors through which  data stored on the RFID sticker could be  viewed within seconds on a computer. Unless taxes are not paid or truck is carrying excess goods,  the vehicle will not be stopped, according to officials.

Every information will be digitised and we keep a computer record of all vehicles passing through the checkposts. The project was first implemented in the Gujarat-Maharashtra border posts before being launched at the other posts across the state boundaries.