With more than 10,000 appeals, revisions and objections pending before various authorities involving revenue of more than Rs.1,100 crore, the All India Tax Advocate's Forum has suggested that the Delhi Government expeditiously form an alternative dispute resolution mechanism to resolve these issues and also earn the revenue that is owed to it.
Forum president M.K. Gandhi while lauding the proposal of framing a mechanism of mediation to resolve disputes of Sales Tax and VAT cases by Delhi Finance Minister A.K. Walia in his budget speech of March 22, regretted that while three months have passed, no concrete steps have been taken by the Delhi Government in this direction so far.
“If the alternate dispute resolution mechanism as proposed in the budget speech of the Finance Minister is put in place expeditiously, Delhi Government will be able to garner more revenue. This will also do it a lot of good financially at a time when it is spending a lot on the preparations for the Commonwealth Games,” he said.
The Forum has also urged the Delhi Government to bring out an amendment in the DVAT ACT, 2004, in the upcoming monsoon session of the Delhi Assembly to frame the mechanism of mediation to resolve disputes of Sales Tax and VAT cases. “Unless prompt and resolute action is taken in this direction to translate the proposal into practice, it will only remain on paper and a golden opportunity to provide alternate dispute resolution mechanism will be lost,” he said.
