Central excise revenue in Ahmedabad up 8%

The Gujarat branch of the central excise department has almost completed a consultation paper on the role and functions of central excise ranges and will send this to the Central Board of Excise and Customs within a fortnight, said S C Mathur, chief commissioner, central excise, Ahmedabad, on Monday.

Mathur said this has become necessary as the role of the central excise is not confined just to regulation or collection, but audit as well.

"We need to reorganise ourselves with the changing scenario. While we have redeployed staff for service tax and other functions, a consultation paper has been almost completed," Mathur said while speaking at the inauguration of the new Central Excise Bhawan in the Ambawadi area of Ahmedabad.

Mathur said the department is at present on the lookout for a plot of land, where the offices of the Ahmedabad Commissionerate II and III can be housed.

These two commissionerates at present occupy offices in the Customs House near the Income Tax crossroads.

Commenting on the revenue figures of Ahmedabad zone, Mathur said there has been a growth of eight per cent in central excise revenue as compared to last year, a growth of 45 per cent in the service tax revenue compared to the previous year and the assessee base has increased by 41 per cent.

Mathur said as far as the work of the customs department in Gujarat was concerned, there has been a 8.35 per cent increase in revenue over the last year, seized cargo worth Rs 6.71 crore has been sold and disposal of unclaimed seized goods has been worth Rs 584 lakh.

The central excise revenue target for Gujarat fixed for 2003-04 is Rs 579 crore and the department has already collected Rs 9,304.67 crore till November 2003, officials said.

As far as the customs department is concerned, the target for the year 2003 is Rs 8152 crore, while it has realised Rs 5037 crore till the end of November 2003.

The service tax targets for Gujarat in 2003-04 has been set at Rs 443.89 crore and the department has collected Rs 188.86 crore until the end of November 2003.