IT department launches dedicated emails for taxpayers’ grievances
The faceless tax system aims to eliminate physical contact between the taxpayer and the taxman to make tax administration objective and transparent.
The Income Tax department has issued three dedicated email addresses for income taxpayers to register grievances related to faceless tax assessment, penalty, and appeals. In order to ensure a transparent tax administration and avoid overreach by officials, the IT department has adopted technology-driven faceless schemes.
The three email addresses created are-
samadhan.faceless.assessment@incometax.gov.in
samadhan.faceless.penalty@incometax.gov.in
samadhan.faceless.appeal@incometax.gov.in
The IT departments aim to achieve the objectives of the taxpayers’ charter. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released India’s first charter of taxpayers’ rights and duties on August 13, 2020, ahead of the 74th Independence Day.
In 2017 Prime Minister Modi had first proposed the faceless tax processing system. It received a mention in the first budget tabled by finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on July 5, 2019. It was launched by the government on September 25, 2020, to eliminate discretionary powers of the taxman, curb corrupt practices and provide ease of compliance to taxpayers.
The system uses artificial intelligence and machine learning, to randomly select tax cases. This takes place with reduced discretion of tax officials.
This technology also helps in eliminating physical contact between the taxpayer and the taxman to make tax administration objective, transparent and corruption-free.
Under the new system, I-T appeals are being finalised in a faceless manner with the exception of appeals relating to serious frauds, major tax evasion, search matters, international tax issues, and matters pertaining to the black money.
The government also plans to set up a National Faceless Penalty Centre (NeAC) to have an unbiased and transparent digital faceless mechanism for imposing penalties on tax defaulters, according to a report in the Hindustan Times.
The system provides adequate opportunity to income taxpayers to be heard and also has provisions for review on legal and technical grounds.
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