Govt likely to get tough to recover dues from KFA

The government may get tough with Kingfisher Airlines which owes it more than Rs 200 crore by way of service tax arrears.

Finance Minister P Chidambaram had told the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) and the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) to get their act together and recover the dues from the Vijay Mallya-controlled airline. Now, the tax wings of both organizations are understood to be chalking out a comprehensive plan to recover the money.

The tax department, which froze Kingfisher’s accounts earlier when the airline failed to pay back its outstandings, may also approach the aviation regulator ahead of the airline’s presenting its revival plan to the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). Kingfisher is expected to submit its revival plan to the DGCA by the month end.

“We have taken all action as per the Service Tax Act, and are now working on a comprehensive plan to recover our dues,” CBEC chairman Praveen Mahajan told reporters.
He was speaking at a function organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry. Mahajan also did not rule out the possibility of the debt-stricken airline facing prosecution for defaulting on payment of its dues to the government.

Service tax collected by airlines from passengers is usually paid to the government in the course of a month. Airlines are not permitted to keep the money in their accounts indefinitely.