600 iPhones seized, VAT evasion checked

Tax evasion of lakhs of rupees was unearthed with the recovery of 600 iPhones worth Rs 2 crore by the VAT department which is running against time to achieve the target of Rs 24,000 crore collection this fiscal.

The department of trade and taxes caught the consignment of iPhones brought to Delhi by a courier company without proper documents. The consignment comprises 600 iPhones of both 5S and 6S models, said VAT Commissioner S S Yadav.

He said the consignment was being delivered by a renowned courier company. The catch has also led to busting of racket of illegal bringing in high value electronic goods from other states and selling them without the payment of VAT.

Strict action is being taken both against the dealer and the courier company involved, he added.
The VAT department is staring at a shortfall of about Rs 3,000 crore in collection this year, according to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

 To prevent the entry of undeclared goods in Delhi, automatic number plate reader cameras have been installed at the border entry points.

Teams of the Department, deployed on the border, keep round-the-clock vigil at entry points to catch trucks carrying illegal consignments.

The teams of the Department are on an average detaining around 20 vehicles  carrying undeclared goods every day. Strict action is taken against such evaders including impounding of vehicle, recovery of tax, imposition of penalty on both the dealer and the transporter. The department has recovered more than Rs 50 crore in the current financial year so far from such evaders.

 In case of high value goods, specially electronic items, the tax evaders take advantage of differential tax rate in different states and with the help of e-commerce platforms and buy such goods from states having low tax rates and deliver at the home of consumers in Delhi, said Yadav.

To catch such evaders, the department has recently prescribed online filing of returns by e-commerce platforms. Analysis of these returns has helped in catching many tax evaders.