Pay taxes honestly to generate funds for development works: Prasad

Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said on Thursday more and more people in the country should honestly pay their taxes to generate the funds required for development works.

Inaugurating the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal's (ITAT) Circuit Bench in Dehradun, the Union minister of law and justice said that he shared Prime Minister Narendra Modi's concern that a very small percentage of the country's total population was paying taxes.

"Only two crore people in a country with a population of 130 crore fall in the category of tax-paying professionals. Is this fair where people are prospering?" Prasad asked.

"Under the leadership of PM Modi we are trying to build a more honest India. More and more people should honestly pay their taxes. The government will see to it that the funds thus generated goes to the country's development," he said.

The Union minister said the Circuit Bench of the tribunal in Dehradun will spare people of the state the trouble of going all the way to Delhi again and again in short intervals for hearing of their appeals.

Thanking Prasad, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat said the circuit bench of the tribunal in Dehradun was a great gift to the people of the state as it will save both time and money.

As many as 800 Income Tax-related appeals from Uttarakhand which are pending before the Delhi bench of the tribunal will be transferred to the ITAT's circuit bench at Dehradun.

ITAT president PP Bhatt said opening a circuit bench of the tribunal in Dehradun was part of an endeavour to take justice to people's doorstep.