Tax paying should be a pleasurable experience: CBDT chairman

Income tax department officials should create an environment where tax paying becomes a pleasurable experience for a common man, the chief of the organisation said on Wednesday.

Central Board of Direct taxes (CBDT) Chairman Pramod Chandra Mody, while speaking at the 159^th ‘Income Tax Day’ event here, said the taxmen should ensure that the work of revenue or tax collection is done in a “fair and transparent” manner.

The department has done a commendable work over the years that is visible by the growth in the direct tax collections, from Rs 13 lakh in 1860-61 to Rs 11.37 lakh crore in the last financial year, he told officials of the department at the event attended by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and her deputy MoS Anurag Thakur.

Income tax was introduced for the first time in India on July 24, 1860, by James Wilson to compensate for the losses incurred by the British regime during the first war of independence against British Rule. The ‘Income Tax Day’ is celebrated to mark this event.

“On this (I-T day) occasion, I would urge all my colleagues to introspect and analyse as to how we can discharge our responsibilities in a more efficient and effective manner. While performing the core task of revenue mobilisation, we also have to ensure that the collection of taxes is done in a fair and a transparent manner.”

“The taxpayers’ experience in discharging his tax obligations must be a pleasurable one,” Mody said.

In a separate message to his colleagues, he said: “I hope that you will continue to work with same zeal, integrity, competence and dedication as you have done in the past. I am sure, that, together we can take this department to even greater heights of success.”

Mody said the faceless assessment, to be rolled out in a full fledged manner across the country in the coming days, will make the department a “truly modern and responsive tax administration”.

He added that revenue collection under the direct taxes head has grown and the total tax base has also increased to over 7 crore taxpayers at present.

“This would not have been possible but for the sustained efforts, hardwork and dedication of all the officers and officials of the tax department,” the chairman said.

Along with the growth in revenue collection and the tax base, he said, there has also been a tremendous growth in the cadre strength of the I-T department.

“The role of the tax department has also undergone a paradigm change. We have consciously transformed ourselves from merely being an enforcing agency to a citizen-centric organisation, ready to facilitate and assist the taxpayers in every way that we can.”

“We have also adopted new technology and innovations, in line with the international best practises,” Mody said.

The CBDT boss said that the department is carrying out outreach programmes and to engage, both formally and informally, with the existing taxpayers and the prospective ones.

The CBDT is the controlling authority of the tax department and frames policy for it.