The government officials have told that over 1,300 exporters have claimed false GST refunds
1,377 exporters have been recognised, out of which, 7 are accredited as star exporter as they are vanishing from their place of business as the department is trying to reinforce the relaxations provided amid the coronavirus outbreak. The government had provided relaxations by extending the last date to file income tax returns
Negative reports of three other star exporters have also been received by the Central Board of Indirect Tax and Customs (CBIC). According to an anonymous official, this total of ten star exporters has claimed false GST credit of Rs. 28.9 crores in total.
GST refund has always been a sensitive issue for the officials as they try to access and refuse false claims, which sometimes result in withholding of genuine claims and affects the liquidity of honest assessees. Wrongful tax refund claims have been the most common form of tax evasion in the country. GST is a system in which tax is charged at each stage of value addition and hence it depends a lot upon technology. Dependence on technology has made it more for the authorities to track it back to the assessee and ensure that proper compliance has been followed.
The official further informed that the government has rejected the claims of 2,830 risky exporters claiming refunds and drawbacks worth Rs. 1,363 crores and suspicious reports have been received about a few thousand others. The assessees or exporters are marked as ‘risky’ after ascertaining the results of risk indicators related to customs, foreign trade transactions, GST, and income tax. Details of such assessees are sent to the officials for physical and financial verification.