Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has ordered an investigation into the tax evasion of crores of rupees by IELTS centers in the state. The news of 21 IELTS centers evading tax of nearly four crores has come to light.
Most IELTS centers charge fees in cash to avoid taxes. According to the details, there are about 1 thousand IELTS training centers in Punjab, which have a contribution of about one thousand crores in GST.
Punjab Tax Commissioner Kamal Kishore Yadav said that the department has so far identified 21 IELTS centers of tax evasion in Mohali, Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Bathinda, Ferozepur, Barnala, Rajpura, Moga and Malerkotla. The preliminary investigation revealed that at least three lakh rupees of tax is being evaded by a center.
Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that a large number of IELTS centers and immigration centers were operating illegally in Punjab, which have been investigated and action will be taken against such centers. He said that most of the IELTS centers used to open branches in other cities after getting a license in one city, but now they have to get a separate license for each city.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema said that he had received information through sources that tax evasion was taking place in IELTS centers. He observed that although the business of these centers was increasing in the state, there was no increase in tax collection compared to that. 18 percent GST is levied on these training centers.