CBDT makes public names of 18 tax defaulters who owe Rs 500 cr

PAN number and the last known address of these defaulters have also been provided so that members of the public could provide us some information about their whereabouts, says official

Adopting an aggressive approach to increase tax collection, the revenue department for the first time publically named 18 tax defaulters - including Goldsukh Trade and Somani Cements - who owe over Rs 500 crore to the exchequer.

Of the 18 defaulters mentioned in the list posted on the website of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), 11 are based in Gujarat.

"This is the first time the department has put in public domain a list of those wilful tax defaulters who have a tax liability of Rs 10 crore and above," a senior tax official said, adding that in many cases the assessees were not "traceable."

"We have also provided the PAN number and the last known address of these defaulters so that members of the public could also provide us some information about their whereabouts," the official added.

The companies in the list include Somani Cement with tax arrears of Rs 27.47 crore, Blue Information Technology (Rs 75.11 cr), Appletech Solutions (Rs 27.07 cr), Jupiter Business (Rs 21.31 cr) and Hirak Biotech (Rs 18.54 cr).

The other Gujarat-based companies which figured in the defaulters list include Icon Bio Pharma & Healthcare Ltd (Rs 17.69 cr), Banyan & Berry Alloys (Rs 17.48 cr), Laxminarayan T Thakkar (Rs 12.49 cr), Virag Dyeing & Printing (Rs 18.57 cr), Poonam Industries (Rs 15.84 cr), Kunvar Ajay Food Pvt Ltd (Rs 15 cr).

Besides, names of Jaipur-based Goldsukh Trade India (Rs 75.47 cr), Kolkata-based Victor Credit & Construction (Rs 13.81 cr), Mumbai-based Noble Merchandise (Rs 11.93 cr) are also there in the list.

The list also includes legal heir of Pune-based G K Dharne involving a tax default of Rs 38.31 crore.