Navi Mumbai: Traders evade fee, Rs 18 crore goods seized, Rs 60 lakh fine recovered

Navi Mumbai: The vigilance squads of the Mumbai Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) carried out a special drive in Jan and Feb against traders and importers evading APMC cess and market fees. In two months, agricultural produce worth Rs 17.5 crore was seized, and a total penalty of Rs 59.9 lakh was recovered from tax evaders.The special drive was carried out in the areas of JNPT, Turbhe, Nerul and along the Thane-Belapur Road, where several vehicles transporting agricultural produce were checked to ascertain that the APMC cess was paid for trading agricultural produce at the APMC market.
APMC member secretary Sharad Jare said, "The traders at the APMC markets were warned in advance of penal action if found indulging in evasion of 1% cess and market fees. It was found that several traders were selling spices without obtaining a licence from the market committee and also without paying cess and maintenance costs. However, some miscreants bypassed the market yard to evade the tax. Their modus operandi was to stock the goods in cold storages and warehouses and stealthily transport them, followed by selling them off, allegedly with the help of miscreant agents, it is presumed."Jare added, "It was also found that some traders were directly trading pulses by evading cess. Some importers of agricultural produce did not give any prior notice before bringing the imported agricultural produce for trading within the limits of the APMC. It was also found that many did not have an importer's licence as well. After the vigilance team was convinced that there was an intention to evade APMC cess and maintenance cost fees, penal action was taken against the tax evaders under Section 32(9) of the Maharashtra Agricultural Produce Marketing (Development-Regulation) Act, 1963."Jare continued, "The cess, market fees, maintenance costs and ancillary charges, along with a three-fold penalty, were recovered from the offenders. Those who paid the three-fold penalty were returned their seized vehicles. If the tax-evading traders do not produce valid documents of the traded commodities seized and fail to pay the penalty within 10 days, their entire seized commodities will be auctioned officially."