Arunachal to get range office of CBEC

Itanagar, Nov 12 (UNI) The Union Finance ministry is planning to establish a range office of the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC) in Arunachal Pradesh by the end of 2006.

It is the only state in the North East region without a CBEC sector office.

''We have already submitted a proposal to the finance ministry in this regard,'' CBEC commissioner of Shillong Karnail Singh informed UNI.

Mr Singh, who was accompanying a high level delegation of central government officials headed by Comptroller General of Customs to Tawang near here recently, said the office would help the state government to collect service tax and excise duty more efficiently.

The people from the NE region would be mainly recruited for the office, he said.

Stating that the total revenue collected during the last fiscal through excise and service taxes in the region was around Rs 2400 crore, Mr Singh informed adding that the department had fixed a target of Rs 3000 crore for 2006.

"We have recorded 20 per cent growth in excise and 40 per cent in service taxes, which is a clear indication of development," Mr Singh said.

The department trying their best to stop revenue leakage, he added.

He further informed that the main sources of collection of revenue in the region were from petroleum and petroleum waste products, including LPG.

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