Despite growth in revenue receipts during the 2011-12 fiscal, the State Government virtually incurred a loss of revenue to the tune of Rs5,005 crore due to under-assessment and short levy of various taxes.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India in its report has pointed out that test-check of records of 316 offices involved in assessment and collection of Odisha Value-Added Tax including Odisha Sales Tax, Central Sales Tax, Odisha Entry Tax, Profession Tax, Motor Vehicles Tax,
land Revenue, Stamp Duty and Registration Fee, State Excise Duty,Forest Receipts, Mining Receipts and other Departmental Receipts as well as a performance audit and thematic study conducted
during the year 2011-12 revealed under-assessment, short levy and loss of revenue etc amounting to Rs5,005.13 crore in 2,16,945 cases.
The CAG report, which was laid in the State Assembly on Monday by Finance Minister Prasanna Acharya, said that during the year the concerned,departments accepted under-assessment and other deficiencies of Rs1,409.90 crore involved in 37,885 cases which were pointed out in 2011-12 and earlier years.
In its observation, the CAG, however, said that
during the year 2011-12, the total revenue receipts of the State Government was Rs40,267.02 crore against Rs33,276 crore in previous year. Of the total receipts, while Rs19,885.70 crore were raised by the Government from its own resources Rs20,381.32 crore were received from the Union Government.It said that of the total receipts, 49 per cent was raised by the State through tax revenue and non-tax revenue.
The CAG also said that as on June 30, 2012, as many as 3,597 Inspection Reports were issued up to December 31, 2011 containing 10,270 audit observations involving Rs7,454.18 crore were
outstanding for want of
comments and final action by the concerned departments.
Similarly, the CAG in its report relating to the
economic sector has indicted the State Government for its causal approach towards
irrigation and flood control measures. It has pointed out that there is no master plan for flood control and
management.
The Department of Water Resources does not have any streamlined procedure for identification, prioritisation and selection of projects for loan assistance under the Rural Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF), said the CAG.
The report pointed out that selection of projects
without comprehensive studies of technical, economic,
financial and organisational aspects and preparedness for their implementation led to completion of only 15 per cent of the irrigation potential. Only 41 projects were completed creating irrigation potential for 1,106 hectares of land which is only two per cent out of the 265 projects scheduled for completion by March 2012 with a target of irrigation of 45,167 hectares. As many as 83 projects were dropped midway or had not commenced as of March 2012.