Central tax board to beef up investigation cell
Manju Menon
MUMBAI, January 13: The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has decided to strengthen the investigation wing of the income-tax department to trace tax-evading asseesees.In an exclusive interview to The Financial Express, chairman, CBDT, Ravi Kant said the investigation wing was being provided with more teeth to deal with tax evaders. This will include setting up of an info-bank and increase in strength of the investigation section. "We will re-deploy more manpower in the investigation wing by reducing the number of people from non-business cases," he said. "We are chalking out a strategy to stop tax evasion and simultaneously making the existing methods of the investigation more effective," he added. In the post-VDIS scenario, the department is targetting people with substantial income and identifying tax evaders. The various sources of income and areas of expenditure, including luxury items, are being closely monitored by the department. Information has already been collected from various
authorities including Registrar of Companies, cell-phone firms, regional transport offices and municipal corporations to identify the people coming under the purview of section 139(1). The key to investigation is to have an info-bank which is being prepared by the department, said Kant, adding that in future there will be no room for the tax-evaders. He said the board expected to add at least 30 per cent new assessees in the current fiscal. In the next three years, the tax base is expected to double to about 2.5 crore assessees. The board is also keen to change the facade of the department being non-friendly. "We want to reward honest tax payers by simplifying the procedures like filing of returns, opening more counters and modifying challans," he said.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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