Finance Minister Harpal Singh : The “Bill Liyao Inaam Pao Scheme” Effectively Enforces Penalties Totaling ₹8.15 Crore on Non-Compliant Taxpayers
Punjab Finance, Planning, Excise, and Taxation Minister Advocate , Minister Harpal Singh announced on Tuesday that the Excise and Taxation Department has undertaken targeted GST registration drives to expand the tax base. These efforts have resulted in the addition of 46,338 new taxpayers in 2023-24 and approximately 33,000 new taxpayers by December 2024. Additionally, a statewide campaign has been launched to educate taxpayers on filing procedures, ITC claims, and compliance benefits.
In an official statement, Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema revealed that the State GST department initiated another GSTR registration drive in January 2025, reaching out to around 48,000 new dealers and successfully registering 10,500 eligible dealers across Punjab. Various community engagement strategies were used, including awareness camps, meetings with market and industry associations, and consultations with professionals such as Chartered Accountants (CAs), advocates, and accountants.
Discussing measures to enhance tax compliance among consumers, the Finance Minister highlighted the extension of the “Bill Liyao Inaam Pao Scheme” and the involvement of school and college students in raising awareness. He noted that the scheme has effectively imposed penalties worth ₹8.15 crore on non-compliant taxpayers while rewarding 4,106 consumers with ₹2.45 crore for uploading their purchase bills on the Mera Bill app.
To further boost tax revenue from registered dealers, the department has ensured a 93% compliance rate in GST return filings, penalized tax evaders, and integrated advanced data analytics tools in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad. Additionally, adjudication and scrutiny modules have been implemented to prevent revenue leakages.
Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema emphasized that expanding the GST tax base is essential for increasing revenue, curbing tax evasion, and ensuring a fair taxation system. He reaffirmed that the Punjab Government, under Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, is committed to achieving this goal by bringing unregistered businesses into the GST framework and enhancing compliance among registered taxpayers.
