ncerned at loss of revenue, the State government has decided to tighten e-way bill norms and make it mandatory for inter-State goods movement.
The government is said to be losing over ₹400 crore because of tax evasion mainly because the e-way bill system has not been fully operational. The State has also had to take a beating because of the recent decision of the GST council to cut tax rates for a horde of goods, mainly durables, which would affect a consumer State such as Kerala. The State is also worried since the projected revenue has not come in from its IGST share.
It is in this context that the government has decided to set up 190 inspection squads. The squads would be deployed in the specified places along the State borders. Mobile squads would be in operation. Maximum number of inspection squads will be deployed in Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad, Kasaragod and Wayanad.
The collection of tax has shown an upward swing, with ₹4,661 crore being collected in June as against the ₹2,760 crore in May, registering a 52% growth rate over the previous month. The Finance Minister has estimated a tax revenue of ₹46,795 crore in his Budget for 2018-19. The GST Department hopes that the July figures, which are yet to be finalised, will be higher given the general all-India trend.