Jaitley asks ITD officials to expand tax base in non-intrusive manner

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley highlighted the initiatives undertaken by the present NDA Government for setting-up an internationally competitive tax regime with a stable policy and a non-adversarial tax administration.

The Finance Minister exhorted the officers of the Income Tax Department (ITD) to be prompt in redressing the grievances of the tax payers, expand the tax base in a non-intrusive manner even as they strive to achieve the revenue generation targets. Jaitley said that taxes are the backbone of any economy.He said that gradually the mindset of the people is changing as they want no one should be exempt from tax. He said that privacy can’t be made an excuse for non-compliance, according to a PIB release. The Finance Minister was addressing the Officers and Staff of the ITD at a function organised here at Vigyan Bhawan in the national capital to mark the occasion of ‘The Aaykar Diwas – Income Tax Day Celebrations-2017’.

Jaitley congratulated the Officers and Staff of the ITD for working towards changing the mindset of the people and helping them become more tax compliant. He also spoke about the various steps undertaken by the present government to widen the tax base, eliminate corruption and incentivise the honest taxpayers among others.

Earlier, Jaitley released a Coffee Table Book “The Journey So Far”. The book traces the 157 year history of the ITD and its metamorphosis into a modern department which uses state of the art techniques for efficient delivery of taxpayer services while simultaneously generating a significant portion of the tax revenue of the Government of India. He also gave away the Finance Minister’s Awards for Excellence to 22 officers of various ranks in the ITD for their meritorious services. A film  “In the Service of the Nation” detailing the contribution of the Department towards nation building was also launched by the Finance Minister which was also screened on the occasion, according to the PIB release.