Title - Inspection at railway station: Sales Tax, RPF lock horns

The tug-of-war between the Sales Tax Department and the Railway Protection Force (RPF) has reached a high pitch with the former’s vehicle not allowed to be parked on the parcel office premises. Sales Tax officials alleged that the move was to disrupt the sales tax inspection at the parcel office and railway station premises. During each inspection, sales tax officials seize consignments worth lakhs of rupees which are brought to Thiruvananthapuram by evading taxes. The consignments are brought to Thiruvananthapuram allegedly with the support of the railway officials. On every occasion, when the sales tax officials reach the railway station, the railway authorities argue against parking their vehicle. Though the Commercial Tax Department had proposed to set up a check-post at the railway station, it has not materialised yet. Now, the receipts and other office articles of the Sales Tax Department are kept in the vehicle, inside which the office work is also carried out. On Thursday morning, when the sales tax officials reached the railway station premises, the issue cropped up again. The RPF personnel asked sales tax officials to park their vehicle in front of the railway station which is around 500 metres away from the parcel office. However, the sales tax officials decided to park the vehicle outside the parcel office and started the inspection.

 Around 30 consignments which were brought in trains evading tax were seized and Rs 40,000 was collected as fine for various articles transported without proper documents.

 ‘’The seizure and imposing of fines on Thursday itself proves that taxable commodities are being smuggled through the railways with the support of the RPF, parcel officials and porters on a daily basis. The intelligence wing of the Commercial Taxes Department had reported that the goods are being taken out of the parcel office after midnight and during the wee hours, which cannot be detected by the Sales Tax Department,’’ sources in the Department said.

 Goods from other parts of the state are transported to Thiruvananthapuram during night only. These consignments, which arrive in the day trains, will be unloaded at Ernakulam, and then they will be loaded in night trains to reach Thiruvananthapuram. As soon as the trains reach Thiruvananthapuram, the goods will be taken out of the railway station premises. The railway authorities allegedly prevent inspection by sales tax officials and the illegal activities, which cause huge loss to the state exchequer, continue unabated.

 The Finance Secretary was informed about the matter and intervention of the government has been assured to check evasion of taxes.

 However, railway officials claimed that parking of the sales tax vehicle on the parcel office premises was causing hindrance to the free movement of other vehicles arriving to book consignments and take away goods. It was in this context that the sales tax officials were asked to park their vehicle outside the office, they said.

 A space for setting up a 24X7 sales tax check-post could be allotted on the parcel office compound itself if a request in this regard is submitted, railway officials said.