Ahmedabad: The State Goods and Services Tax (SGST) department conducted raids at 27 locations across 15 waterparks in 7 districts of the state this week, uncovering unaccounted transactions worth Rs 57 crore. The raids took place in Ahmedabad, Himmatnagar, Navsari, Mehsana, Rajkot, Kheda, and Banaskantha districts and revealed tax evasion through cash transactions not recorded in official books.

The targeted waterparks included Flamingo Waterpark & Resort, 7S Waterpark & Adventure, Jaldhara Water World, and Swapnasrushti Water Park in Ahmedabad; Water Ville Water Park and Suswa Water Park in Himmatnagar; Bliss Aqua Water Resort and Shree Ganesha Fun World in Mehsana; Modi Water Resort and Amusement Park, Aquatic Water Park, The Heaven Water Park and Resort & Restaurant, and The Summer Waves Water Park in Navsari; Shivdhara Resort in Banaskantha; and Watercity Water Park in Kheda. The SGST department found that many transactions for services at these waterparks were conducted in cash and not recorded in official books, leading to tax evasion worth Rs 57 crore.

The raids at Modi Water Resort and Amusement Park in Navsari began on Thursday evening and continued for the second day. Discrepancies in tax filings related to entry tickets, room rents, and food sales were revealed. During the raids, the SGST department seized documents and data on tax payments for various services, revealing that only digital transactions from online bookings were accounted for in tax filings. Spot audits showed underreporting of taxes, highlighting the extent of tax evasion. DeshGujarat