Excise Collectorates Told To Meet Targets

The revenue department has directed all the 36 excise collectorates throughout the country to meet the targets in their respective areas.

The directions have come in view of reports that collections till December 1996 had fallen short of the Rs 46,600 crore target by Rs 749 crore.

Sources said collectorates which have reported the shortfall in revenue have been directed to take immediate steps to ensure that targets are achieved.

The Delhi excise collectorate has meanwhile served a notice to Faridabad-based Sanden Vikas (India) Ltd, suppliers of air-conditioners to Maruti, claiming interest on over Rs 4 crore that the company owes as central excise duty to the department.

 

The notice, with a claim Rs 45 lakh, was served on the firm last week.

Revenue department sources said the case relates to the notice of the assistant commissioner, Faridabad, whose office had served the firm a notice with a Rs 3.5 crore claim over six years ago.

When Sanden Vikas filed an appeal with the Commissioner (Appeals), its plea was rejected.

The company then approached the Customs, Excise, Gold Appellate Tribunal (Cegat) which directed that part of the amount be deposited and the balance kept pending till the disposal of the case.

Revenue department officials said the case of Sanden Vikas (India) Ltd was a typical one and there were scores of others in which the revenue payable to the department was held up at various levels of litigation for several years.

He said with the reduction in the level of government controls, the anti-evasion exercise should be stepped up.

In the recent months, a series of raids of the anti-evasion wing of the department has revealed widespread evasion of duties despite concessions given to the small scale industry.

Citing a number of these cases, officials say the government should take another look at the ground realities before deciding to continue such concessions for these units.