Chandigarh, March 27 (IANS) Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema on Friday said the Taxation Department has launched a large-scale, coordinated enforcement drive across the state to curb tobacco tax evasion, leading to the detection of unaccounted goods estimated at Rs 1.5 crore.

“Following the recent increase in tax rates on tobacco products such as cigarettes, biris, and allied items, the department received specific inputs regarding a surge in tax evasion activities within this sector,” he said in a statement.

“Acting swiftly on this intelligence, teams from four State Investigation and Preventive Units (SIPUs) based in Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, and Jalandhar were mobilised. These units carried out simultaneous inspections at eight different locations, comprising five registered business premises and three operating entirely without registration.”

Detailing the findings of the enforcement drive, the Minister said, “Major detections were made in Ludhiana and Amritsar, where enforcement teams put in significant efforts to identify concealed storage locations and unaccounted stock. “During the thorough inspections of both main shops and associated godowns, substantial quantities of goods were found being stored and traded without valid invoices.”

He said the seized stock includes approximately 1.32 lakh packs of Indian cigarettes, 18,472 packs of Indian biris, 302 packs of zarda, 13 packets and 95 boxes of imported cigarettes, 148 pieces of foreign-made hookah material, 13,000 lighters, and 18 packs of Coolip.

The minister said a tax liability exceeding Rs 50 lakh, along with applicable penalties, will be firmly recovered on the detected goods as per the provisions of the law. A sum of Rs 12 lakh has already been recovered so far, and further recovery proceedings are actively underway.

Reaffirming the government’s zero-tolerance stance on tax evasion, Minister Cheema said, “Such coordinated enforcement actions will continue unabated to ensure strict tax compliance and to safeguard state revenue.”

He also issued an advisory to traders, urging them to maintain proper documentation and strictly adhere to statutory provisions to avoid severe penal action.

--IANS

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