Publicise action against corrupt I- T officials: PM
Aiming to give a clear message that there is no room for corruption in government departments, especially for personnel involved in public dealing, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed income tax department officials that any action taken against personnel found guilty of corrupt practices should be shared with all PAN card holders through email.
Highly placed sources said that taking a strict view of the fact that indulging in corrupt practices by officials in government departments affects the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the system, Mr Modi during a recently held high- level meeting with officials of the Central Board of Direct Taxes ( CBDT), is learnt to have suggested the aforementioned unique but stern measure to discourage such practices in the future.
The Prime Minister said that if any official is found guilty of corrupt practices, action taken against the personnel concerned should be made known to all PAN card holders.
To ensure that there is full efficiency in settling the tax claims of people, the Prime Minister is said to have advocated a complete shift in technology.
Sources privy to developments told this newspaper that Mr Modi told CBDT officials that processes such as eassessment should be done in a time- bound manner so that there is a reduction in the number of grievances related to claim settlements.
The Prime Minister directed officials to sensitise their counterparts to be more people- friendly and fast- track their cases. For this, he said that the feedback system should be strengthened.
The meeting was especially held as the July- August period witnesses filing of income tax returns by taxpayers throughout the country and there have been several complaints regarding undue tax demands, of which the Prime Minister’s office is learnt to have taken a serious note, sources said.
As there is a provision of a fine of ` 5,000 for those taxpayers whose annual salary is above ` 5 lakh this year, there has been a lot of panic among people, which led to the government increasing the return filing deadline from July 31 to August 31, 2018.