Despite a large number of construction works and goods procurement under the DMF funds in the state in the past few years, the government has not received GST in proportion to the amount spent. The Business Intelligence Unit, constituted under the state GST, has deployed AI-based IT tools to analyse the aforementioned supplies and purchases along with the businessmen involved.

The state GST department is keeping a hawk’s eye on businessmen shying away from the timely payment of GST, and soon strict action will be taken in such cases, as per the instructions of Finance Minister OP Choudhary. Recently, certain business establishments were investigated and they were made to pay the pending taxes at once. In case of ‘Bharat Infra’ from Keshkal, tax evasion of Rs 91 lakh was discovered, whereas in case of Shri Krishna Enterprises of Raipur, tax evasion of Rs 2.5 crore has been detected. So far, a sum of Rs 1.75 crore has been recovered by the tax department from these establishments. In a similar case of tax evasion found in the Horticulture Department, the state GST department has issued a notice to Kisan Agrotech, a company supplying shade nets, to ensure payment of pending taxes.

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Businessmen involved in tax evasion often claim ITC on bogus bills to show less tax liability. However, now the department is equipped with AI-powered IT tools that can easily detect tax evasion and see through the forgery. The state tax department is also organising meetups with businessmen to create awareness about the damaging consequences of the shortcuts to avoid tax liability. Finance Minister OP Choudhary has appealed to businessmen in the state to pay their taxes honestly and on time.