NT Reporter Panaji
The state is struggling to recover Rs 963.6 crore in arrears under various tax laws, with liquor and other goods dealers among the top defaulters, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant told the assembly on Tuesday.
Of the outstanding amount, Rs 691.9 crore — 72% of the total — is pending under the Goa Value Added Tax (VAT) Act.
Replying to Opposition Leader Yuri Alemao, Sawant said the names of dealers with large arrears cannot be disclosed as the government holds the data in a fiduciary capacity and disclosure could adversely impact their business.
The Chief Minister said Section 79 of the Goa VAT Act, 2005, treats all particulars in statements, returns, accounts, and documents as confidential, a protection also provided under Section 158 of the Central GST Act, 2017, and the Goa GST Act, 2017.
All registered dealers in the state maintain their books of accounts as
per accounting standards and share the data with the excise and GST departments via online returns, Sawant said.
To recover the dues, assessing authorities issue demand and reminder notices, conduct visits to business premises or residences, freeze bank accounts, and use other provisions of the Goa VAT Act, 2005.
Sawant said the state has introduced two schemes to recover outstanding dues — The Goa (Recovery of Arrears of Tax through Settlement) (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020 and The Goa (Recovery of Arrears of Tax, Interest, Penalty, Other Dues through Settlement) Act, 2023. However, dealer-wise or year-wise recovery details cannot be furnished due to confidentiality provisions, he said.
