PANAJI
The Comptroller Auditor General of India (CAG) has charged the excise department with incorrect rates for the levy of licence fees to the tune of Rs 18 lakh.
During the audit of Excise stations at Sanguem, Quepem, Pernem and Canacona, the scrutiny of records of hoteliers from April 2015 to March 2021 revealed a short levy of licence fee amounting to Rs 9,93,630 which is recoverable along with a leviable penalty of Rs 8,06,304 from 15 hoteliers.
The CAG stated that the short levy of licence fee was communicated to the government in December 2021 and the Excise Commissioner in April 2022 claimed that an amount of Rs 6,79,500 (including interest) has been recovered from eight out of 15 licensees. Notices for payment of dues were issued to five licensees and with respect to one licensee, out of Rs 1,32,660 only an amount of Rs 50,000 has been recovered. “For the balance amount notice has been issued for payment of dues and the remaining one licensee requested for personal hearing which is under process,” it said.
The CAG further reported that out of the 12 auditable units in the Excise Department, seven units were selected for test check during the year 2020-21 consisting of 2,780 licensees. Of these, the CAG audited records of 662 licensees (23.81 per cent) 32 cases of non-payment surfaced regarding minimum bottling fee, application of incorrect license fee on hotel, non-levy of excise duty on old stock lying idle for more than three years in bonded warehouse, non-renewal of licenses of distilleries, non-recovery of amount towards offenses compounded by the Commissioner, non-levy of surcharge of 100 per cent of the license fee on Foreign Liquor (FL) retailers, etc involving a whopping Rs 2.24 crore.
