Jorhat, Oct 3: The Assam Finance Department is conducting a statewide analysis of data on GST-registered taxpayers to identify suspicious transactions, curb tax fraud and prevent GST-related scams, Finance Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said on Saturday. Speaking to the press during his visit to Jorhat, Baruah said the department is developing a system aimed at making it increasingly difficult for those involved in GST fraud to evade detection.

“One of our teams is analysing the data of GST-registered citizens across Assam. The collected information and details are then submitted to Superintendents of Police or inspectors for further action,” Baruah said.

He said it is not feasible to manually monitor every GST-registered taxpayer and that data analysis is therefore being used to identify suspicious activities and track those allegedly involved in scams. “The new system that we are developing and working on will be hard to escape from.

It is not possible to monitor and track every individual registered under GST. We are therefore working on data analysis of registered GST citizens to catch scammers,” he said.

Baruah said the department has detected and acted against several people allegedly involved in GST scams in recent months, including cases involving fraudulent use of Input Tax Credit (ITC). “We have received several cases of inter-state fake ITC.

Assam STF has also arrested individuals from Kolkata and brought them to Assam. Several actions have also been taken against the accused.

However, the system has to be stricter as the cyber nexus is deeply into GST scams,” Baruah said. He urged taxpayers to pay their dues on time and said the government was also working to create greater awareness about GST and its procedures.

Asked why details of some GST raids conducted across the state were not made public, Baruah said the department was bound by legal provisions governing the disclosure of information. “There is a clause to maintain a certain level of confidentiality,” he said, adding that maintaining confidentiality is also necessary to protect taxpayers’ dignity..

Baruah said the shift to an online GST system has increased transparency, making it easier to address irregularities. “Since GST has shifted to online mode, it is all transparent and there is no scope for mischief.

Those cases which have been reported are being gradually addressed and reduced,” he said. The latest crackdown comes amid a series of arrests in Assam linked to an alleged fake GST credit racket.