Data analytics, better enforcement push commercial tax revenue up

Robust collection

The Commercial Taxes Department saw a whopping Rs 5,114-crore increase in revenue in the first five months of the financial year thanks to technology and strict compliance.

According to data accessed by DH, the department had collected close to Rs 32,578 crore up to August in 2022-23, and this increased to Rs 37,692 crore during the same period this year — a 15 per cent rise.

Of the Rs 37,692 crore, Rs 28,637 crore was collected through Goods and Services Tax (GST), which has increased by Rs 4,670 crore as compared to 2022-23.

That apart, the Karnataka Sales Tax (KST) contributed Rs 8,490 crore with a Rs 455-crore increase as compared to last year. The department collected Rs 565 crore through professional tax.

Speaking to DH, Shikha C, Commissioner, Commercial Taxes, said that the department collected close to Rs 1,700 crore entirely through enforcement, audit, and scrutiny. “Through data analytics and constant monitoring, we have been able to identify the areas where there is a loss of revenue and plug the gaps,” she said.

The department has a dedicated data analytics cell that monitors and scrutinises various transactions to identify the loss of revenue. Auditing the returns filed and identifying faulty filings have also helped the department improve its revenue sources. “The returns filing rate also has to increase. We are also recovering the pending dues. Enforcement has helped improve the revenue,” Shikha added.

Over the last three months, the department has investigated 1,607 cases and identified 447 bogus entities that were supplying fake GST invoices.

Considering the financial situation of the state and to aid the government in fulfilling the five guarantees, the target for the Commercial Taxes Department has been increased drastically this year. The department is expected to collect close to Rs 1.02 lakh crore as against the Rs 80,000-crore target last year.

Senior officials, however, exuded confidence in meeting the revised target.