Businessman alleges police harassed him with wrong intentions, revenue investigation officer says, 'Couldn't understand what to look for in truck'
We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.
The Armed Police Force and Nepal Police have seized 23 trucks carrying junk goods from various places in Kathmandu and Lalitpur for three consecutive days on charges of tax evasion. The trucks have now been handed over to the Revenue Investigation Department. It is not clear who the trucks loaded with junk goods were evading and what type of tax they were evading.
On Tuesday, the Armed Police Force seized 10 trucks loaded with junk goods from the Ring Road area. The Armed Police Force and Nepal Police have handed over 23 trucks to the department by Wednesday evening. The police said that the trucks were seized due to lack of necessary documents and suspicion of tax evasion.
Junkyard traders have accused the police of causing unnecessary trouble to the traders. Government officials have not given a clear answer, saying that the tax issue will be looked into by the concerned bodies. The Nepal National Junkyard Traders Association has accused the police of causing trouble with ulterior motives. Some trucks were seized while they were loading and before they reached their destinations, the association's president, Saroj Shrestha, alleged. He said that the trucks carrying garbage were seized indiscriminately without any wrongdoing and challenged them to seek legal redress. He claimed that the police had handed over the trucks to the revenue investigation through the Kathmandu District Attorney's Office to save him from trouble. "They have handed over the trucks to the revenue department after they failed to show a valid reason with evidence," he said. District Police Range Kathmandu Chief SSP Dilip Ghimire claimed that the trucks were seized on suspicion of evading taxes that should have been paid to the local level. He said that the trucks were seized and handed over to the revenue department on the basis of the issue of tax evasion that had been reported in various newspapers. He said that he had received information that various local levels, including Dhunibeshi Municipality in Dhading, were coming to Kathmandu to collect garbage tax.
The last time the police seized 8 trucks on Wednesday around 4 pm and handed them over to the investigation department. 6, 10 and 12 The trucks are full of garbage. The revenue department premises are filled with trucks and more than 40 of their workers. Currently, the trucks are being kept on the road due to lack of space in the department's premises. Various units of Kathmandu police had initially seized 4 trucks during an inspection in Chandragiri Municipality on Monday, citing the above order. Kathmandu Chief District Officer Ishwar Raj Poudel said that they have been handed over to the Revenue Investigation Department for legal action. He did not give clear information about what suspicions were raised about the trucks being seized. He said, "The relevant body will look into that." He said that hooliganism has entered the junk trade and this has led to corruption.
The inspection of junk goods has been entrusted to the Revenue Investigation Department, which is in the process of being abolished. The department was abolished soon after the new government was formed. The budget statement for the coming year also mentions the abolition of the department. Therefore, the officials of the Investigation Department are confused about what to examine the trucks for and how. The department had stopped examining the goods recently.
‘We are in the process of vacating the office by packing all the documents,’ the revenue official asks, ‘What should we look for in these trucks?’ Revenue sources said that it is customary to check the Cargo and Transport System (VCTS) of the truck and if there is a tax evasion issue, they write to the Internal Revenue Office. The scrap metal businessmen said that the issue of checking the VCTS is ridiculous because the truck was taken into custody without even issuing the invoice. The businessmen say that all the trucks that have been issued with invoices are affiliated with the VCTS. If they are not affiliated with the VCTS, there is a legal provision to release the truck after being fined. VCTS is a system for tracking vehicles and goods.
The system is activated only after the vehicle leaves for its destination. Only after the vehicle is invoiced and driven, can it be checked whether it is affiliated with the system. That is why the revenue employees are confused. They say, ‘What should we look for in the scrap metal truck in the office that has been dismissed? "We don't know what suspicions led to the shipment being sent here." The source informed that the revenue department has requested the police not to bring such trucks anymore. The truck contains old iron, zinc sheets, and other junk items of various sizes.
