Governance has gone nearly paperless with more than 27 lakh e-files currently operational in the Central Secretariat of the Government of India while physical files have reduced to just about 10 lakh, said Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, on Friday.
Governance has gone nearly paperless with more than 27 lakh e-files currently operational in the Central Secretariat of the Government of India while physical files have reduced to just about 10 lakh, said Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of .
Synopsis
To avoid the conflict of interest, ensure fair dealings and consequently build the trust between taxpayers and the concerned tax authority, it is imperative that the redressal organisation has adequate teeth and is independent of the tax department.
Getty Images
The Economic Survey 2020-21 has suggested setting up of an independent tax ombudsman to ensure enforcement of tax payers rights. In India, tax ombudsman existed for both direct and indirect taxes earlier but were abolished in February 2019 as they were seen to be ineffective. Their decisions were only advisory in nature which is why they were abolished in 2019.
However, global experience suggests an ombudsman system is necessary for ensuring protection of taxpayer s rights, says the survey.
Updated:
January 29, 2021 18:33 IST
The income tax department has already started faceless scrutiny assessment and faceless appeals system to cut down on face-to-face interaction between taxpayer and tax authorities.
Share Article
AAA
The income tax department has already started faceless scrutiny assessment and faceless appeals system to cut down on face-to-face interaction between taxpayer and tax authorities.
The government should reinvigorate the taxpayer grievance redressal system by giving it more teeth and making it independent of the tax department to help build trust in tax administration, the Economic Survey said on Friday.
Globally countries like U.S., Canada, UK with an independent tax ombudsman have performed better on the tax administration front through better trust between the taxpayers and tax authorities, and have exhibited a higher average Tax to GDP ratio and lower time taken to file them.
The government should reinvigorate the taxpayer grievance redressal system by giving it more teeth and making it independent of the tax department to help build trust in tax administration, the Economic Survey said on Friday. Globally countries like US, Canada, UK with an independent tax ombudsman have performed better on the tax administration front through better trust between the taxpayers and tax authorities, and have exhibited a higher average Tax to GDP ratio and lower time taken to file them. International experience suggests an ombudsman system is necessary for ensuring protection of taxpayer s rights. However, the institution, in India s past experience, was not effective and was abolished. A possible reason may have been inadequate independence from the tax department.