Star Health faces Rs 49 crore GST demand from tax authorities

Mumbai: Star Health and Allied Insurance Company Limited has received 25 tax demand orders from the Goods and Services Tax (GST) authorities across multiple states.

The total demand, including penalties, amounts to Rs 49 crore. The tax notices have been issued to the company’s zonal offices in Haryana, Delhi, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, and Karnataka.

Authorities have alleged that the company failed to pay GST on certain transactions related to coinsurance.

The violations also include non-disclosure of these transactions in statutory filings and the failure to issue invoices for such services.

“The alleged violations include non-payment of GST on the transactions of coinsurance as follower; non-disclosure of coinsurance as follower transactions in the statutory returns filed from time to time; non-issuance of invoices for coinsurance as follower services,” according to an exchange filing.

In Haryana, Star Health’s office has received five tax demand orders worth Rs 4.9 crore. The orders were issued by the Additional Commissioner of GST and Central Excise in Gurugram.

Similarly, the company’s Delhi office has been served four orders amounting to Rs 4.7 crore. Maharashtra’s zonal office has been hit with the highest tax demand of Rs 19.4 crore through five orders.

These were issued by the GST authorities in Mumbai East, Andheri East, and Mumbai South-West. In Tamil Nadu, the company has received five orders totalling Rs 16.2 crore from the Chennai North GST office.

The Telangana office has also been served five tax demand orders, amounting to Rs 3.8 crore. Meanwhile, the Karnataka office has received a single order demanding Rs 12.8 lakh.

Star Health has stated that, based on legal counsel’s advice, it will file an appeal or a writ petition to challenge these tax demands. The company will take appropriate legal steps to address the matter.

Meanwhile, last month, the company announced that it has expanded its Home Health Care services to 100 locations across India.

Launched in July 2023, this initiative now covers 85 per cent of Star Health Insurance’s customers, providing cashless medical care at their doorstep.

–IANS