Chandigarh: Reaffirming a zero-tolerance stance towards tax evasion, Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema introduced document enforcement outcomes for the monetary yr 2025–26, with recoveries touching ₹1,137.85 crore below the management of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
Cheema acknowledged that the State Taxation Division imposed penalties amounting to ₹1,383.11 crore, out of which a considerable ₹1,137.85 crore has already been recovered, reflecting a significant enchancment in enforcement effectivity and income realization.
He stated that inspection-based enforcement emerged as the first driver, accounting for ₹1,215.95 crore in penalties and ₹972.15 crore in recoveries, whereas road-checking operations contributed ₹165.71 crore. The minister highlighted that this marks a pointy improve in comparison with the earlier monetary yr, indicating a transformational shift in Punjab’s enforcement capabilities.
Highlighting the crackdown on fraudulent networks, Cheema stated the division registered eight FIRs and made 15 arrests through the yr. Investigations uncovered tax evasion price ₹69.57 crore involving companies issuing faux invoices with out precise provide of products.
He additional revealed main detections, together with ₹900 crore faux billing in gold transactions in Ludhiana, ₹226 crore in coal-related fraud throughout Mohali, Kharar, and Kotkapura, and ₹423 crore bogus billing networks in Ludhiana and Mandi Gobindgarh. A ₹200 crore fraud linked to the “Pet Pooja App” was additionally detected, pointing to the growing sophistication of such networks.
Cheema added that strict Enter Tax Credit score (ITC) management measures helped safeguard ₹451.46 crore, with ₹244.82 crore blocked and ₹206.64 crore reversed. A verification drive recognized 1,579 suspicious sellers, of which 922 had been discovered non-existent and had their registrations cancelled.
He additionally famous that in a particular enforcement drive in Ludhiana and Mandi Gobindgarh, a document 141 automobiles had been detained in a single day, whereas surveillance at railway stations and transit factors was intensified, notably in high-risk sectors similar to iron and metal, cement, auto components, tobacco, and metals.
The minister credited superior knowledge analytics, real-time e-way invoice monitoring, and digital enforcement methods, together with initiatives just like the “Invoice Liao Inaam Pao” scheme, for enabling swift and coordinated motion. He reaffirmed that the state authorities will proceed strict motion to dismantle fraudulent networks, promote honest enterprise practices, and safeguard public income.
