The Department of Commercial Taxes has launched a special drive for recovery of tax dues from tax payers under different categories, says Deputy Commissioner K. Ravi Sankar. He made an appeal to the tax payers at a media conference to clear the dues before March 25. Two Assistant Commissioners were deployed exclusively for the purpose with the objective to ensure 100 per cent recovery, he added.
Mr. Ravi Sankar said the drive had a positive bearing on the candidates contesting elections to the local bodies and the general elections with a track record of pending tax dues. Many of them have been voluntarily coming forward to clear dues with the fear of disqualification from contesting as per the Election Commission’s guidelines, he said. The Deputy Commissioner has stated that he had submitted a list of tax defaulters to the District Returning Officer with a request to debar them from contesting . The department has served notices on 2,300 tax payers as part of the target to clear the dues pending from 1980.
Mr. Ravi Sankar said West Godavari district posted 26 per cent growth in tax revenues as against the State average of 5.9 per cent. Agro-based industries, vegetable oil industries, ceramic tile industries and sugar factories accounted for 80 per cent of the total tax collections from the district, he said.