“We have started interactions with the apex business bodies and are also holding talks with the professional groups such as layers, engineers and doctors, among others,” said Bishnu Nepal, director at IRD.
The fresh endeavors to pursue tax evaders to correct their behavior have been started as the government believes the groups of people who pushed for extension of the VDIS deadline for a month from the previously announced date of February 11 have still not responded to the scheme.
The groups include industrialists and traders in the formal sector, and also the property dealers, healthcare and education institution operators and professionals.
“Given the trend of revenue payment, we understand they will not comply until the last hour. Still, in order to draw their attention we will start individual counseling soon,” said an official at Ministry of Finance, which held interaction with the business community on Tuesday.
IRD chief Kapil Dev Ghimire said that differences that existed between the government and the private sector over VDIS have already been settled. “I do not think we have any thing else to clarify to the private sector now,” added Nepal.
However, the Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI), Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) have continued to demand the government not seek sources of money already put towards establishing the industries and firms.
As business associations continue to seek decisions in their favor, about a dozen additional people have taken benefits of the VDIS and legalized their property by paying 10 percent tax to the government over the last two weeks of the extended period.
IRD statistics show they disclosed property worth Rs 250 million and contributed Rs 25 million in revenue. Among them, the biggest disclosure during the period was valued at Rs 75 million, Nepal informed myrepublica.com.
With this, total property disclosed under VDIS has touched Rs 10.65 billion and fetched revenue of Rs 1.065 billion.
Moreover, officials at the department further said that the biggest chunk of property disclosed under the VDIS has come from realty dealers and companies. It is followed by share holders and bank promoters.
“Still a large number of realty dealers and professionals have not responded,” said Nepal, adding that the IRD was keeping an eye in the identified 10 sectors, where it would take actions once the VDIS deadline ends on March 13.
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