The Commercial Tax sleuths on Monday conducted a series of raids on the famous non-vegetarian hotels in Hoskote and unearthed huge GST evasion using UPI payment mode.
Based on a tip off, a team of officials from the vigilance wing, posing as customers made test purchases, and conducted multiple surveys, and reconnaissance, before the raids on Monday. A team of 50 officials conducted searches at the business premises and residences of hoteliers, who mainly run biriyani outlets. Hoksote, on the outskirts of the city, has come to be known for a bunch of biriyani outlets that see serpentine queues and long waiting time even early in the morning.
C. Shikha, Commissioner, Commercial Tax, said that the modus operandi is receiving payments by using numerous UPI accounts and constantly changing the UPI accounts so that the actual turnovers are suppressed and taxes are evaded. The hoteliers involved were not issuing invoice, bills of sale for supply of food items and or maintaining proper books of accounts.
In one case, 30 different QR codes were found during the search in one of the residences of a proprietor along with ₹1.47 crore in cash. Income Tax officials were alerted, who joined the raid and have began proceedings. It can be recalled that the commercial tax officials conducted a similar exercise at Chikpete last week and unearthed large tax evasions.
