Tax assessment goes faceless, PM Modi unveils IT charter

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 13

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched a platform to provide faceless assessment and appeal in income tax cases, which, he said, was part of the process to overhaul various colonial-era tax laws.

“The previous system, instead of expanding the taxpayer base, was harassing honest businessmen, workers and those providing employment,” observed the PM while also launching the taxpayers’ charter, first announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her Budget speech.

“Soch and approach dono badal gayi (Thinking and approach, both have changed). Reforms should be policy-based, holistic and one reform should form the basis for further reforms,” the PM said while pointing out that earlier regimes would label changes made under pressure as reforms and they would become an end to themselves.

“We have not done just one reform. There have been consistent efforts over the last few years,” said the PM while pointing to the junking of 1,500 outdated laws, a huge improvement in the ease of doing business and major changes in laws and rules.

“Seeing this commitment, the trust of foreign investors has increased, leading to record inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) even during the Covid pandemic,” he said.

He said the changes were due to four reasons: Policy-driven governance, narrowing of grey areas of discretion, limiting human interface by use of technology, and awarding efficiency in bureaucracy.

The earlier system enabled the flourishing of “black and white” (money) because it was complex. The new GST slab system has removed the need for unnecessarily providing several documents; schemes like “Vivad Se Vishwas” have helped settle around 3 lakh cases out of court; and the tax system is being now made seamless, painless and faceless.