Team Blitz India
NEW DELHI: Executives of at least ten prominent foreign airlines including British Airways, Etihad, Thai Airways and Qatar Airways been questioned by the Directorate General of GST Intelligence (DGGI) over alegations of tax evasion which have run into hundreds of crores of rupees, TOI reported on December 31.
The DGGI has questioned these executives over allegations of these carriers’ booking expenditure related to their India operations with their overseas head offices in the last month.
Citing sources, TOI reported that the DGGI has requested documentation from these airlines covering every expense incurred by the international carriers for their operations in India. This may include aircraft leasing, crew and ground staff costs, fuel for the aircraft, and any additional maintenance or repair expenses.
For the first time, Indian authorities have requested that international airlines report all of their expenses relating to India and pay taxes for services provided here under the new GST regime. For international shipping lines and carriers doing business in India, this expense might reach millions of dollars.
