PANAJI
Goa government finds itself grappling with massive revenue arrears to the tune of Rs 5,223.81 crore till March 31, 2024. Of this, 42 per cent of the arrears have been mounted for more than three years, revealed the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).
The auditing agency has recommended the State Government to undertake necessary measures to recover outstanding revenue arrears for enhancing revenue receipts and achieving deficit targets.
The CAG noted that the arrears of revenue as on March 31, 2024 amounted to Rs 5,223.81 crore of which, Rs 2,190.47 crore (42 per cent) was outstanding for more than three years.
Further, Rs 126.72 crore was under legal adjudication, leaving arrears of Rs 5,097.09 crore, which were yet to be recovered.
The Water Resources Department is the biggest defaulter on the recovery front. A sum of Rs 2,245 crore is pending to be recovered by the Department of which Rs 432 crores are pending for the last three years.
This is followed by the Commercial Tax Department having arrears of Rs 2173.56 crore, of which Rs 1475.56 crore are pending for more than three years.
The Electricity Department is due to recover Rs 462.55 crore from its consumers, another Rs 223.48 crore is due for recovery from the PWD.
The other defaulters include the Departments of Animal Husbandry, Tourism, Printing and Stationary, Police and Excise.
