'Kerala has revenue arrears of Rs 10,435.55 crore'
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Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala's total revenue arrears stood at Rs 10,435.55 crore as on March 2015, a CAG report said Wednesday.
The report on revenue sector by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG), said out of this, Rs 1,872.12 crore was outstanding for more than five years and no effective efforts were made to recover them.
Besides, arrears of Rs 2,138.17 crore were pending with the departmental authorities.
The cases referred for write off to a tune of Rs 70.14 crore were also not being pursued by the departments with the offices concerned, said the report tabled in the assembly.
Total revenue receipts of the state for the year 2014-15 amounted to Rs 57,950.47 crore against Rs 49,176.93 crore for the previous year, it added.
The report said the state suffered loss of revenue due to non-registration of online traders.
Even though there are 30 major online dealers in the state, the audit revealed that no action was taken to levy tax on online business in Kerala, except in the case of two dealers who had paid Rs 3.30 crore as tax during 2014-15.
The loss of revenue for three years -- 2012, 2013, and 2014 -- worked out to Rs 174 crore, the report highlighted.
The CAG report further said that the reply of the government that online transactions could not be taxed under Kerala Value Added Tax act was not tenable.
In its general and social sector report, CAG said the sale of scarce natural minerals like sand at very low rates, without resorting to auction as stipulated in the Kerala Protection of River Banks and Regulation of Removal of Sand Act, 2001, had resulted in a loss of revenue of at least Rs 115.02 crore.
