KATHMANDU: The Department of Revenue Investigation was tipped off that Varun Beverage that is producing Pepsi and other beverages in Nepal is evading taxes by using fake VAT bills.
Then, the Department filed the case against seven persons including Amit Gupta seeking Rs 1.94 billion in fine and three years in jail.
As claimed by the Department, Varun Beverage is charged with doing business with the use of fake VAT bills supposedly for revenue leakage.
Such instances show the Department has been actively dragging those behind those evading revenue to courts, of late.
“We have identified risk zones involving high transaction amount. Thus, multinational companies are also under our scanner. Those evading taxes will face the music,” said Department’s Director General Dirgharaj Mainali.
According to him, the Department is investigating against hundreds of firms and people for evading taxes.
Mainali said the department will swing into action only after gathering necessary proofs and achieve a cent percent success.
He adds that as the courts have not released a single person on a general date so it can be said they have been involved in any sort of misappropriation.
As per the record maintained till the end of the Nepali month of Poush (December/January), cases have been filed against 315 persons for misappropriation of foreign currencies and 130 have been dragged to court for evading revenue through fake VAT bills.
Rs 4.85 billion has been claimed as fine against those misappropriating foreign currencies and Rs six million in fine has been sought against those evading revenue through fake VAT bills.
Likewise, cases have been filed against 18 out of 57 firms involved in trading fake VAT bills.
The Department, in the past one and a half years, has filed Rs 15 billion revenue evasion cases against 506 including 11 government officials.
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