Arrears Recovery - CBEC's Draconian Circular Causing Ripples in Field
CBEC's New Year Bomb in Circular No. 967/2013-CX dated 01.01.2013 is exploding in the factories of Central Excise assessees right across the country. Though no Central Excise Officer can even be remotely accused of having collected a single rupee because of the Circular, the fact remains that the assessees are being threatened with letters, notices, attachments, personal requests and what have you! Every officer is extremely nice. The Superintendent says, he fully understands the woes of the assessees, but ‘what can I do, my Assistant Commissioner is mad at me'. The Assistant Commissioner is equally nice but says he is harassed by his Commissioner. The Commissioner is politeness personified, but he wants you to pay up, because his Chief Commissioner does not understand. The Chief Commissioner is equally nice, but what can he do when the Board is breathing down his neck? YOU HAVE TO PAY.
We are told in Ludhiana Excise officials went to a knitting unit to attach their property to recover about Rs. 2 Crores. Tension prevailed with leaders of a political party joining in with heavy police deployment. When the situation threatened to turn out of control, the wise excise-men made a hasty retreat, but not without warning the assessees to pay up the arrears latest by 31 January.
Do we need all this drama to collect taxes? Are we dealing with thugs and thieves?- even they are treated with more respect!
We understand that the Bombay High Court has yesterday granted interim stay against recovery pursuant to the controversial Circular No. 967/2013.