Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday emphasised on the need for better utilisation of technology such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), data deep dive, and Internet of Things (IoT) to detect and plug revenue leakages.
She emphasised that technology can help detect where revenue leakages are happening and where mischief-makers are gaming the system.
Sitharaman, who inaugurated the ‘Kendriya GST Parisar’ residential complex for CGST officers at Kharghar, Navi Mumbai, observed that probably some people are creating shell companies or in some cases even colluding with some rare blacksheep in the system, thereby causing loss to the exchequer.
“If only each one of you, and particularly junior officers, is given adequate training on technology, it will be absolutely easy for you to detect and plug the revenue leakages,” the minister said in her address to Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs officials.
Soon, training will be given to revenue officials in different parts of the country so that they will be comfortable using technology to make sure that revenue leakages are plugged, she added.
GST collection
Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj said that for the last couple of months, the revenue department has been trying hard to reach the (Goods and Services Tax/GST collection) milestone of ₹1.50-lakh crore but has been falling short by ₹2,000-6,000 crore.
“….I’m sure from November onwards, CBIC, on a regular basis, shall deliver ₹1.50-lakh crore revenue to the government,” he said.
The gross GST revenue collected for August 2022 at ₹1,43,612 crore was 28 per cent higher compared with ₹1,12,020 crore in the year ago month. GST collections have been over ₹1.40-lakh crore mark for six months in a row.
Principal Chief Commissioner of CGST (Mumbai Zone) Ashok Kumar Mehta observed that CGST Mumbai Zone, which collected more than ₹1,18,000 crore last fiscal, was the highest revenue collecting zone in the country.
The zone detected tax evasion of ₹11,000 crore in the last 12 months, of which ₹1,150 crore has been recovered so far, he added.