Jet, Sahara booked for non-payment of customs duty

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence has booked cases at Mumbai and Delhi against private airlines Jet Airways and Air Sahara for non-payment of customs duty, the Lok Sabha was informed on Friday.

These cases have been booked for non-payment of customs duty on aviation turbine fuel for flights getting converted into domestic run after completion of international run, Minister of State for Finance S S Palanimanickam said.

However, Jet and Air Sahara have paid differential custom duty amounting to Rs 67 lakh and Rs 21 lakh respectively in cases booked against them in Mumbai. In Delhi, the cases are under investigation.

The airlines do not have to pay taxes and duties when they operate to international destinations. In another reply, he said the government has detected 3,407 cases of excise duty evasion up to November 2006 involving a sum of Rs 8,573 crore (Rs 85.73 billion).

Prominent among the evaders are names like JSW Steel Ltd, Titan Industries, International Tractors Ltd, Sterlite Industries and Gillette India Ltd, he said.

Palanimanickam also said that till October this year, 12 cases of over valuation of the export goods involving a sum of Rs 43.91 crore (Rs 439.1 million) have been detected.

In Delhi, 200 search and seizure warrants were executed and the Income Tax Department seized assets worth Rs 22.41 crore (Rs 224.1 million) till December 10, he said.

Responding to a separate question, he said some instances of foreign nationals allegedly engaged in purchasing of immovable properties in Goa, have come to notice.