GST Evasion Nearly Doubled To Rs 1.3 Lakh Crore In FY23
Over the last three years (FY21-FY23), GST evasion of Rs 2,54,235 crore has been detected.
Goods and Services Tax evasion data indicate that the Central Board of Indirect Taxes has detected evasion worth Rs 1.3 lakh crore in over 15,562 cases in fiscal 2023.
Of this, Rs 33,226 crore has been recovered and 190 arrests have been made, according to data presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman at Parliament on Monday.
Over the last three years (FY21–FY23), GST evasion of Rs 2,54,235 crore has been detected. In the ongoing fiscal, evasion in 2,784 cases worth Rs 14,302 crore has been detected up to May 2023. The department has recovered Rs 5,716 crore and made 28 arrests.
Sitharaman presented year-wise data on GST and Income Tax evasion in a statement to the lower house during the monsoon session. This was in response to a question by Gujarat MLA Ranjanben Dhananjay Bhatt.
According to provisional figures, evasions in Income tax—a form of direct tax unlike GST—has involved the search of 741 groups, a seizure of Rs 1,765.5 crore and a total of 1,253 surveys conducted in fiscal 2023.
Sitharaman's response outlined the efforts taken by the government, such as using data analytics and artificial intelligence in the Income Tax Department, to develop a wide range of non-intrusive methods for detecting tax evasion.
Some of the important measures include computer-assisted scrutiny selection of cases; a non-filers monitoring system to prioritise action; an income tax business application to help curb tax evasion through putting in place end-to-end processes for all verticals of the department, etc., the statement said.
The department recently carried out an all-India drive to weed out fake or bogus registrations from May 16 to July 15.
