As part of the strategy formulated for fiscal 1999-2000, each officer would also be required to regularly monitor advance tax payment in respect of 100 top tax payers of his jurisdiction.

It has been stressed that there was a need to put in place a credible monitoring system at the level of chief commissioner of income tax (CCIT)/CCT and additional CCT. Also, tax-accounting system needed to be updated at all the centres failing which monitoring of collections could not be effective and meaningful.

CBDT has also underlined the need for initiating necessary action in all such cases where returns have not been received. This was aimed at bridging the gap between the total number of assessees and the total number of returns received duringa particular financial year.

A huge portion of outstanding demand is locked in dossier cases. For improving the monitoring of dossier cases, CBDT has suggested that whereas dossiers should be sent for DIT(R) once in every tree months, CCIT/DGsIT should be sent the progress of recovery in each dossier case exceeding Rs 1 crore of demand every month for pursuing pending demands.

The approach, CBDT suggested should be to collect entire unstayed demand subject to instalments and also efforts be made to dispose off stay applications on priority basis. In respect of certified demand also, progress of recovery must be reported every month by TROs.

CBDT has further directed that squads consisting of TROs and assessing officers under the guidance of JC(R) be formed for pursuing recovery in difficult cases. It was further suggested that assessing officers be authorised under Section 226(5) of the I-T Act by the commissioner/chief commissioner to recover any arrears of tax due from an assessee by distraint andsale of his movable property as per third schedule.

As part of the overall strategy for improving revenue realisation, CBDT has said that surveys exclusively for recovery must be launched and all audit objections which have a bearing on collection of taxes must be taken up on priority for disposal.

The board has also emphasised that each assessing officer would be made accountable to effect recovery of net collectible demand.

With regard to tax deduction at source (TDS), which accounts for 40 per cent of collection, CBDT has suggested that surveys be launched in a big way to detect defaulters. Also, the board has directed that each ITO/AC/DC-TDS should monitor the collection of 100 top tax defaulters of his circle on a monthly basis.

In addition additional CIT/JCIT-TDS have been asked specifically identify major products coming in their areas and watch the collections of TDS from these concerns on a regular basis.

The CBDT, it may be mentioned, has a target to net Rs 58,760 crore as direct taxesduring 1999-2000, up by 21.4 per cent over the budgetary estimate of last fiscal.

The target is to mop up Rs 30,850 crore corporate tax, Rs 26,910 crore income tax and Rs 1,000 crore interest tax.