Aligarh’s ‘Kachori’ Seller, With Rs 70 Lakh Annual Turnover, Gets Notice For Tax Evasion

A small outlet selling steaming and spicy ‘kachoris’ - a popular snack in Uttar Pradesh - in a narrow lane of Aligarh has left the commercial tax sleuths astounded.

Following a complaint with the commercial tax department, the shop, known as 'Mukesh Kachori', came under the lens of the tax department which found that Mukesh Kumar (Owner of the outlet) has a whopping annual turnover of around Rs 60-70 lakh but does not pay any tax.

During a search conducted by the officials of special investigating branch (SIB) of commercial tax department (Aligarh range), it was found that Mukesh was a ‘crorepati’ but did not have GST (goods and services tax) registration.

Located near Seema cinema hall, the shop is running for 10-12 years and earned a name in due course of time. Mukesh begins selling 'kachoris' and 'samosas' in the morning and continues through the day. The line of customers never seems to end.

Deputy commissioner, commercial tax, Ravindra Pal Singh Kauntiye, said: “We had to search for the outlet. We initially conducted a recce by watching the turnout of customers at different timings. After making an assessment, we got a search warrant on June 21. During the survey, the seller himself gave out the details which indicated that his turnover was in lakhs of rupees.”

Kauntiye, along with joint commissioner HPR Dixit, assessed the volume of raw material, number of customers, fuel used to make an estimate of Mukesh’s income.

According to officials, the annual turnover of Mukesh might go beyond Rs 1 crore.

“Till March 31, businessmen having a turnover above Rs 20 lakh were required to have registration for the goods and services tax (GST) but from April 1, the limit has gone up to Rs 40 lakh. This ‘kachori’ seller, despite having a high turnover, had no GST registration,” Kauntiye said.

“We have issued notice to Mukesh who has expressed readiness to have GST registration,” Kauntiye added.

According to officials, there are about 600 kachori sellers in Aligarh and they are suspecting massive tax evasion by such roadside stalls selling snacks.