<h1>Auditor General finds excise department lapses caused Rs 244 crore revenue loss through incorrect assessments and procedural failures</h1> The Comptroller and Auditor General identified serious operational lapses in a state excise department resulting in substantial revenue losses. Key findings include incorrect assessment of license renewal fees causing revenue shortfall of approximately Rs 20.15 crore plus Rs 70.22 crore in interest. Failure to implement revised supervision fee rates led to additional Rs 1.20 crore loss. The excise commissioner exempted duty on old beer stock without required government approval. Delayed chemical analysis of beer samples hampered tax recovery worth Rs 73.18 crore. Absence of provisions for charging fees on shareholding changes in public companies resulted in Rs 26.93 crore loss. Undervaluation of production costs for certain products caused Rs 38.34 crore excise duty loss. Errors in imported liquor purchase costs led to non-collection of Rs 11.48 crore and Rs 2.89 crore in different periods. The audit highlighted systemic issues requiring immediate attention to prevent further revenue losses.