Taxpayer services to be improved soon: Central Board of Direct Taxes

Taxpayer services will be improved to a great extent in coming days with CBDT announcing that recommendations of a government-appointed panel on reforms in tax administration will be implemented soon. 

Chairperson of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) Anita Kapur said the Income Taxdepartment was examining the recommendations of the Tax Administration Reform Commission (TARC), headed by economist Parthasarathi Shome, for its implementation soon so that taxpayer services and grievance redressal issues are resolved on priority. 

"We are very committed to see that the tax administration gets reformed. Whatever the recommendations have been made by the TARC, we are examining them. 

"We are trying to issue a notification soon that at least for taxpayer services, we will have an independent vertical which has been one of the major recommendations (of the TARC) so that taxpayer services and grievances get focused attention at every level," Kapur told PTI. 

TARC was set up by the government to recommend reforms exclusively in tax administration and was specifically mandated "to review the application of tax policies and tax laws in the context of global best practises and to recommend measures for reforms required in tax administration to enhance its effectiveness and efficiency". 

The Commission had submitted its final recommendations and report to the Finance Ministry early this year. 

The Central Board of Direct Taxes which is the apex policy-making body of the I-T department and regulates direct tax collections in the country has also created few committees to work on the suggestions made by the TARC. 

Kapur said resolving issues and complaints of taxpayers is an area of priority for the department and hence the first area of implementing TARC recommendations has been chosen as those pertaining to taxpayers grievances and complaints. 

The TARC had also recommended industry-based jurisdiction instead of the current system of territorial revenue collection for direct taxes in the country for which the Board has constituted a committee recently.

Source:-The Economic Times