No undisputed tax payable, am a law abiding citizen: Mahesh Babu

One of the most celebrated actors in the Telugu film industry, Mahesh Babu, whose two bank accounts were attached by the Goods and Services Tax department, has said there was no undisputed tax payable and he is a law abiding citizen complying with all fiscal legislations.

Besides, the actor’s legal team said, a dispute on the matter was pending before court.

“The GST Commissionerate, Hyderabad has attached the bank accounts for a disputed tax demand of Rs 18.5 lakh claiming Rs 73.5 lakh towards Tax interest and penalty for brand ambassador services rendered in FY 2007-08 which was not taxable service,” the team said in a release on Friday.

The brand ambassador service was brought in the statute only from July 2010, it said.

“Mahesh Babu is a law abiding citizen complying with all fiscal legislations and has no undisputed tax payable,” the release said.

The GST Commissionerate, Hyderabad, has carried out the attachment without notice when several judicial pronouncements on the issue is in favour of the taxpayer and more so when the dispute is pending before the High Court, according to the team.

The GST department had on Thursday said that the accounts were attached to recover service tax dues from Mahesh Babu.

According to a release issued by the Commissionerate, the actor has not paid the Service Tax during 2007-08 for the taxable services he rendered as brand ambassador, appearance money and advertising for promotion of products, among others.