Bizmen worried over GST Dept employees ‘giving’ their sales-purchase data to rivals

Many industrialists in the city are worried over easy availability of their sales and purchase data. There are allegations by some businessmen against staff in the GST Department that for a few bucks, the data is shared with their rivals.

Will check issue at dist level: Official

Varun Rujam, Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Punjab, said such incidents did not come to his notice but if businessmen are facing any such issues, the department will get the same checked at the district level. He said if there are specific cases, they should be brought to his notice.

Talking to The Tribune, Badish Jindal, president, FOPSIA and All Industries Trade Forum, said businessmen were struggling due to recessionary trends. Besides, they were now haunted by a new fear that their sales-purchase data was no longer safe. Some employees of the GST Department have started ‘selling’ the data, Jindal alleged, adding that earlier, Ludhiana businessmen used to get calls from agencies in Delhi that they could get complete sales-purchase data of their competitors by paying around Rs 20,000. Now, many agents in Ludhiana are offering to give the data at cheaper rates, even for Rs 1,000.

“The recession is already a big challenge but this new scam has added to woes of the businessmen. Nowadays, many agents are roaming in the market, who will procure you the complete sales-purchase data of your competitors for Rs 1,000 or so for a month. Most of such data is available on the GST Department’s website and it is quite easy to steal the same from there. Employees of the department, who have access to the website, can easily furnish the information,” Jindal alleged.

Lalit Shorey, vice-president, Oil Mill Manufacturers Association, here, said he himself was a victim. “Lower rates are quoted by competitors after going through our sales and purchase records. Even the auto parts industry is crying as their customers were being taken by parties in Delhi. The government should come to the rescue of the businessmen, else, we will be in big trouble,” he said.

Recently, businessmen in the Industrial Area C held a meeting and opposed the scam. They said the industrialists provided their data to the government with a belief that it was in safe hands but due to the lackadaisical approach of the GST Department, log-in details are being shared with accountants and clerks. Afterwards, these are leaked,” Jindal added.

Varun Rujam, Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Punjab, said such incidents had not come to his notice but if businessmen were facing any such issue, the department would get the same checked at the district level. He said if there were specific cases, they should be brought to his notice.