To provide relief for traders to settle their pending tax payments before the implementation of GST, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday launched ‘One Time Settlement-2023 (OTS)’ through the Excise and Taxation Department. The scheme will be operational from January 1 to March 30, 2024, during which the businessmen would have an opportunity to settle pre-GST tax liabilities.
Additionally, the Chief Minister announced opening of a ‘GST Training Institute’, in collaboration with HIPA, Gurugram.
Under the OTS scheme, the tax amount is divided into four categories, starting with an undisputed fee category for cases without dispute. Taxpayers will pay 100 per cent of the amount in this category, with no penalties or interest. For disputed taxes under Rs 50 lakh, taxpayers will pay 30 per cent of the outstanding amount. For disputed taxes above Rs 50 lakh, they will pay 50 per cent.
The third category applies to undisputed taxes assessed by the department where no appeal was made. Taxpayers will pay 40 per cent if the amount is below Rs 50 lakh and 60 per cent if it's above Rs 50 lakh. This category also offers relief from penalties and interest. The fourth category includes outstanding amounts due to differences in tax rates, with the taxpayers required to pay only 30 per cent of the total.
OTS scheme also provides easy installment options. Taxpayers with outstanding amounts below Rs 10 lakh must pay the entire sum in one lump sum before March 30. For Rs 10 lakh to Rs 25 lakh, the amount can be paid in two installments of 52 per cent each. If the outstanding is more than Rs 25 lakh, the payment can be spread across three installments: 40 per cent in the first 90 days, 30 per cent in the next 90 days, and 30 per cent in the final 90 days.
The Scheme also addresses outstanding tax issues from the Excise and Taxation Department until June 30, 2017.
The Chief Minister also announced the expansion of Urban Ownership Scheme — an initiative granting ownership rights to shopkeepers occupying local body land. This expansion will now encompass shopkeepers who pay rent to the local body for their shops built on land managed by various departments.
