Notice sent to Ramdev for alleged service tax evasion

A demand notice has been sent by the authorities to trusts run by Yoga guru Ramdev, for alleged service tax evasion on about Rs 1 crore received from a private TV broadcaster for airing his programme.

Official sources said a demand notice was sent to Patanjali Yoga Peeth and Divya Yoga Trust in Haridwar seeking details of Rs 96 lakh received by them from the broadcaster and raising demand for payment of service tax on the amount.

The Revenue Department officials, who earlier raised a demand of over Rs 5 crore, alleged service tax evasion from Ramdev in conducting Yoga Shivirs, found that the trusts had entered into a contract to telecast Ramdev’s programme on yogic exercises.

The programme was aired during 2009-10 and payments of Rs 8 lakh a month (Rs 96 lakh for a year) were given to Ramdev’s trusts towards broadcasting rights fee and no service tax was paid on it, the sources said.

“The notice has been sent by Directorate General of Central Excise Intelligence for alleged tax evasion on Rs 96 lakh. The demand has been raised for assessment year 2009-10,” they said.

Exempt from tax

When contacted, a spokesperson for Ramdev claimed the trusts and its activities were exempted from service tax net as they were doing charitable activities for medical relief.

“Trusts’ activities are barred from service tax as it is for the purpose for providing medical relief to the poor. We will contest the notices sent to us in front of appropriate authorities,” he said.

Sources said that Ramdev’s trusts had entered into a contract with the broadcaster for airing a Yoga programme (of half-an-hour duration) daily on its channel for three years.

“However, it was later cancelled and the programme was shown on air for a year,” the official said, adding that the notices were issued recently.

Ramdev, who is leading a campaign against black money, also manages trusts that manufacture and sell ayurvedic medicines in India and abroad.

The Revenue Department had raised a demand of Rs 5.14 crore on the trusts managed by him, on fees collected from individuals for learning Yoga through semi- and fully-residential camps, officials said.

The Yoga guru has declared a capital of Rs 426.19 crore involving four trusts run by him — Divya Yoga Mandir trust (Rs 249.63 crore), Patanjali Yoga Peeth trust (Rs 164.80 crore), Bharat Swabhiman trust (Rs 9.97 crore) and Acharyakul Shiksha Sansthan (Rs 1.79 crore).