Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema articulated that the Excise and Taxation department has conducted targeted Goods and Service Tax (GST) registration drives to widen the GST base, consequence in the addition of 46,338 new taxpayers in 2023-24 and approximately 33,000 new taxpayers up to December 2024.
To educate taxpayers on filing procedures, and compliance benefits a Statewide campaign has also been launched, he mentioned.
“To increase tax revenue from registered dealers, the department has ensured proper GST filing and compliance, with 93% of registered taxpayers consistently filing returns on time. The department has also penalised tax evaders, collaborated with IIT Hyderabad to integrate advanced data analytic tools, and implemented adjudication and scrutiny modules to prevent revenue leakages,” the Finance Minister expressed.
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It was cited by Mr Cheema that expanding the GST tax base is significant for rectifying the revenue, lessening tax evasion and ensuring a fair taxation system. He mentioned that the Punjab government is devoted to achieving the same objective via a two-pronged way of drawing the unregistered businesses under GST and improving compliance among registered taxpayers.
The Finance Minister specifying the chosen initiatives to promote tax compliance among consumers cited that the department has extended the Bill Liyao Inaam Pao Scheme and asked for the active engagement of school and college students to spread awareness among the younger generation. He mentioned the scheme was effectively levying penalties of Rs 8.15 crore on non-compliant taxpayers and rewarded 4,106 consumers with ₹2.45 crore for uploading their purchase bills on the ‘Mera Bill‘ app.
