Jammu, July 06: The cash starved Jammu and Kashmir government had to recover Rs 1074 crore in various taxes by March 2003, according to finance department officials. "The total arrears of revenue under sales tax, passenger tax, forestry, wild life, state excise and property tax as on March 2003 amounts to Rs 1073.55 crores, which are yet to be recovered despite the bad financial state," the officials told newspersons here.

The tax arrears increased nine percent from 2001 to 2002 financial years, an official said, adding the successive government did precious little to recover the huge amount.
Of Rs 1073.55 crore, arrears that were more than five years old amounted to Rs 431.35 crore, ie 40 per cent of total arrears.

While sales tax arrears amounted to Rs 606.93 crores, unpaid forestry and wild life tax was Rs 407.98 crores, urban immovable property tax was Rs 27.72 crores, state excise tax was Rs 18.60 crores, and passenger tax was Rs 12.32 crore, he said.
Out of total sales tax arrears of Rs 606.93 crores, Rs 486.25 crore to be recovered as land revenue), recovery of Rs 64.10 crore and Rs 1.40 crore had been stayed by the court and the appellate authority respectively.
"Arrears of Rs 104.13 crore were proposed to be written off and the recovery of remaining amount of Rs 437.30 crore did not materialise by January 2003," he said.

Bureau Report