PUNJAB Pradesh Beopar Mandal asks nine questions to ETC Punjab

Ludhiana, July 27, 2013: Sharply reacting to the Punjab ETC (excise and taxation commissioner) statement that e-TRIP has been introduced in the state with a view to check tax evasion, the Punjab Pradesh Beopar Mandal (PPBM) president Amrit Lal Jain, general secretary Sunil Mehra and secretary Mohinder Aggarwal and other leaders have said ETC had issued this statement after seeing a strong and massive peaceful protest lodged against the implementation of e-TRIP by the industry and trade in Punjab on Friday.

Further reacting to ETC Punjab’s statement, the PPBM leaders remarked that ETC Punjab is speaking language of politicians like a "parrot" to please them. They said they have prepared a questionnaire and asked the ETC to give reply to it.

Q1. In the year 2007, the then SP (Vigilance) Shiv Kumar had registered cases of corruption against 32 excise and taxation officers. Why this file has been kept in the cold storage? Has excise and taxation officials’ the right to do corruption?

Q2.Why Rs.400 crore VAT refunds are not being released? Who pockets 5 to 15 per cent share of VAT refunds released to traders?

Q3.Traders are compelled to bribe for getting supply of the forms C, H and K. Who are those accepting this bribe?

Q4.Who get bribe at the time of annual assessment of a trader?

Q5.Who gets forcible money after harassing the traders on one or another plea at ICC Barriers in Punjab?

Q6.Who gave verbal orders to ETOs to collect additional revenue of Rs.10-15 lakh per month by using all possible means?

Q7.Why does the department collecting Rs.800 processing charges from every dealer? This practice has been on since last year and the excise and taxation department has collected Rs.18 crore so far.

Q8.Is it not true that undue raids, nakas and corruption prevailing in the excise and taxation department has ruined the steel industry in Mandi Gobindgarh and two of the big industrialists have preferred to expand their units out of Punjab?

Q9. Why do the excise and taxation officials not mention of their expensive expenditures on lifestyle and buying jewellery and property etc. in their annual IT returns?

They pointed out that e-TRIP could only be implemented by a trader and an industrialist who could get install computer, printer and internet connection. Besides, they have to hire services of people who could use them, they said, adding all this practice would cost about Rs. 1 lakh annual to every trade and industrialist. They said it was unnecessary financial burden on trade and industry.

Those who made this statement included Pyare Lal Seth, Satish Gupta, BK Bajaj, SK Wadhwa, LR Sodhi, Rajesh Sharma, Kasturi Lal Mittal, Surendra Jain, Arun Kalia, Naresh Gupta, Tarsem Kumar Jain, Virender Ratan, Surinder Duggal and Ranjan Aggarwal. All the PPBM leaders demanded that CBI should hold an inquiry into the working of the excise and taxation department Punjab.

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