Budget 2020: Taxpayers’ charter to help stop harassment at hands of officials

Steps will be taken to remove criminal liability for offences under the Income Tax Act, which are civil in nature, Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in her Budget speech.

Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday proposed a taxpayers’ charter in the Income Tax Act to ensure fairness to all assessees and to make sure that officials, in their quest to collect taxes, do not end up harassing citizens.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, holding a folder containing the Union Budget documents, poses for photographers along with her deputy Anurag Thakur, outside the Ministry of Finance on Saturday. (PTI Photo)

Also, steps will be taken to remove criminal liability for offences under the Income Tax Act, which are civil in nature, she said in her Budget speech.

“An important aspect of ease of living and ease of doing business is fairness. Businesses should have the confidence that things are fair and that the tax administration is efficient. We wish to enshrine a tax payers’ charter in the statute. Our government would like to reassure tax payers that they will not be harassed. Tax harassment cannot be tolerated when we speak about wealth creation,” said Sitharaman.

The minister said certain offences under the Companies Act are being decriminalised.