PANJIM: The Transport Department has issued a notice to Pastor Domnic D’Souza and his wife Joan Mascarenhas, who were issued notice into exemption of road tax on their luxury vehicle, have now been asked to pay the amount of Rs 6 lakh to the department within one week.
The couple, who were recently arrested for forced conversion, was earlier this month issued a notice for recovery of the tax.
In the order on June 21, the Assistant Director of Transport (Mapusa) has directed them to pay Rs 6,03,559 government dues within one week on receipt of the notice failing which appropriate punitive action will be initiated against them.
The tax exemption was issued to ‘Dominic and Joan Trust’ in 2014. The couple’s legal counsel has argued that the recovery notice comes after eight years which was surprising.
On the other hand, the department claimed that the tax exemption, the couple enjoyed was under a law granting liberty to charitable trusts and NGOs, however, the couple misused this for personal gain.
The Pastor had availed lifetime tax exemption for his luxury car as per the government’s notification dated August 7, 2014, for charitable purposes. But the government later withdrew the notification following observations raised by the Comptroller General of India (CAG) in the audit report. It was observed that the high-end vehicles were not used for charitable purposes but used by the office-bearers of charitable trusts for their personal use.
The Transport Department has also issued a similar show-cause notice to the managing trustee of Assagao Pallottine Society, who had availed the tax exemption for the SUV vehicle, for a charitable purpose.
