The Hindu : Sales tax schedule `arbitrary'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 10, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Sales tax schedule `arbitrary'

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, MARCH 9. The All-India Tax Advocates Forum has criticised as "arbitrary" the Delhi Government's new time schedule for tax assessment on the ground that it was causing unwarranted suffering to lakhs of traders across the Capital.

The forum president, M.K. Gandhi, said even though the deadline for sales tax assessment ends on March 31, the Sales Tax Department has already taken recourse to bogus demands worth crores of rupees. "The Delhi Government expects to ensure finalisation of the tax demands from nearly 1.8 lakh cases in a month with the help of around 200 sales tax officers,'' he claimed, adding that it was humanly impossible as the number of cases is over 3.20 lakhs.

Noting that all States and Union Territories except for Delhi had a well thought out Sales Tax collection policy in tune with the welfare of the traders and consumers, he accused the Delhi Government of trying to cover its failure in revenue realisation through the creation of artificial tax demand.

Urging the regime to at least extend the assessment limit for 2002-2003 to March 2005, he also expressed dismay at the absence of adequate Sales Tax Tribunals saying the Single Tribunal was non-functional for nearly nine months which had compounded the woes of the traders.

"It is time the city administration realises the ineffectiveness of its system especially in the backdrop of non-availability of necessary sales tax forms in the Capital."

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