West Bengal to waive 25000 outstanding Sales Tax Matters

A remission on tax arrears, interest, penalty, or late fees under the West Bengal Sales Tax (Settlement of Dispute) Act, 1999, was declared in the West Bengal Finance Bill, which was submitted in the state legislature on Monday.

If the application is submitted by May 31, sales tax matters that are now ongoing before any authority and were filed between June 2017 and February 10, 2023, will be resolved. The state settled 28,697 of these cases in 2010 and received Rs 594 crore. Almost 25,000 cases are currently awaiting resolution in tribunals and courts.

Chandrima Bhattacharya, the state’s minister of finance, stated in the budget proposals that relief would be given for cases still in court involving the West Bengal Sales Tax Act of 1994, the West Bengal Value Added Tax Act of 2003, and the Central Sales Tax Act of 1956. She had stated that under the new plan, all outstanding sales tax debts, including arrears, unpaid interest, penalty, and late fees, will be resolved.

In accordance with the scheme unveiled on Monday, a requester is required to pay 15% of the outstanding amount of arrears in dispute after taking into account the documents and certifications in the possession of tax payers. An application for the Bengal Tax on Entry of Products into Local Areas Act, 2012, must pay 50% of the tax due. Settlements for other tax disputes can be reached by paying 15% of the total.