Revenue Secy asks tax officials to put special efforts to check evasion

Revenue Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey on Friday held a meeting with senior tax officials and asked them to put forward special efforts to check evasion and meet the target set for the current fiscal.

It may be recalled, the finance ministry last month had put its GST tax mop up target at Rs 4.45 lakh crore for the remaining period of this fiscal, with Rs 1.1 lakh crore GST collection target for three months and Rs 1.25 lakh crore in a single month.

Direct tax collection target for the current fiscal has been pegged at Rs 13.35 lakh crore despite corporate tax relief of 1.45 lakh crore.

It was decided in the meeting in presence of CBIC and CBDT Chairmen and members to have weekly update on the efforts taken up for revenue augmentation measures and endeavours put to realize the targets, sources said.

Red flag reports generated through the system will have to be taken to their logical conclusions without overreach in a stipulated timeframe and regular updates have to be submitted, the sources said.

Field formations under the Principal Chief Commissioners and Chief Commissioners and Members of both the Boards will have to report weekly either in physical meetings or on video conferencing on their efforts being put in the field to curb tax evasion and leakages, action taken on checking fake or huge ITC claims, mismatch in returns filed, etc, they added.

Officials have been given directions to put forward special efforts to identify and initiate actions against wilful tax evaders or those using fake invoices or inflated or fake e-way Bills, according to the sources.

However, officials were asked to ensure that the genuine taxpayers should not be troubled, and officials were also told to communicate with them that they must genuinely file their taxes before the taxman/notice reaches them.

The meeting was to further strengthen the efforts to exhort the tax machinery to put up special efforts to stop leakages and curb tax evasion to maximise tax collection without troubling the genuine taxpayers.

The meeting was attended by senior officials of CBIC and CBDT, including Chairmen, and members of both the Boards to strategise and streamline the field functions using data analytics and fix specific responsibilities on the officers.