Over Rs 60 lakh duty not recovered: CAG

Mumbai, Apr 19 (UNI) Non/short recovery of entertainment duty from cable operators and proprietors of dance bars resulted in the loss of revenue over Rs 60 lakh to the Maharashtra government, the report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) says.

According to the report for the year ended March 2005, test checks of records in 26 offices in ten districts revealed that in respect of 342 cable operators, entertainment duty amounting to Rs 49.25 lakh was neither paid by the operators nor any demands were raised during the periods between April 1999 and March 2003.

Further, in respect of 61 cable operators, entertainment duty of Rs 14.20 lakh was recovered short for the periods between April 2001 and March 2004.

The under assessment was due to failure to review the register containing data of connections serviced by each cable operator, entertainment duty recoverable and payments made there against.

After this was pointed out between June 2001 and August 2004,the Resident Deputy collectors/tehsildars recovered Rs 27.17 lakh from 228 cable operators between July 2001 and July 2005.

Similarly, test check of records in three offices revealed that in respect of 24 dance bars, entertainment duty amounting to Rs 11.40 lakh was neither paid by the proprietors nor demanded by the entertainment duty branch in tehsils for various periods between April 2001 and March 2003.

After this was pointed out,the tehsildars recovered entertainment duty of Rs 5.02 lakh from proprietors of 15 dance bars between September 2002 and March 2005. Report on the recovery of balance amount has not been received till December 2005, the report says.

UNI MR ADG MA HS1720