GMR paid less GST than required

It has been revealed that GMR paid less GST to the government than was required for the period 2 October 2011 to 31 January 2012.

Sun Online has received a copy of the ‘Notice of Tax Assessment’ sent to GMR by Director General of Revenue Operations of Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA) Mohamed Shahid. MIRA has confirmed legitimacy of this document.

The document states that GMR paid MVR131,583 less than the amount it was required to pay as GST, based on the assessment conducted on the company.

MIRA had requested GMR to settle the payment within thirty days of receiving the notification, and informed that failure to comply will result in the imposition of a fine.

GMR was informed that if the company had objections to making the payment within thirty days as requested, it should inform MIRA in writing the reasons for its objections.

An official of MIRA said that the Authority conducts assessments on companies to ensure that they pay correct amounts of GST. He informed that assessments are conducted on big companies and identified companies.

He did not indicate why GMR was assessed, and also did not say if GMR had paid the remaining GST.

Earlier this year, it was also revealed that GMR paid less Airport Service Charge than required.

Indian media reported in October that checks were conducted on all GMR offices by the Indian Tax Office, following suspicions that the company tried to evade tax. The reports stated that investigations in this regard are ongoing.