Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman has clarified that tax notices sent to individuals, start-ups, and other companies over the past few weeks, are not ‘harassment.’
Responding to questions in this regard, Sitharaman pointed to the taxpayer's charter, which prohibits the Income Tax department and Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the IT department's apex body, from opening cases related to tax payment that have been pending for six years.
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“It is not a method of harassment…it is the compliance for the board (CBDT) to follow the timeline to access for people for whom (tax information) is not readily available,” she said at the Mint India Investment Summit Wards 2024 on Saturday, the second day of the conclave.
“Another dimension is that, if you are manually keeping your account with the CBDT, these are now being digitised. This is why you have a flurry of notices going out in March,” she added.
The minister further stated that from April 1, opening of tax cases pending for six years, ‘will not be possible.’
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“For pending amounts and courts cases, by introducing the faceless system, we have ensured that these cases cannot be opened beyond six years if the amount is substantial,” the senior BJP leader remarked.
{{/usCountry}}“For pending amounts and courts cases, by introducing the faceless system, we have ensured that these cases cannot be opened beyond six years if the amount is substantial,” the senior BJP leader remarked.
{{/usCountry}}It must also be noted that around a month ago, CBDT chairman Nitin Gupta, too, had declared that the IT department will send notices to individuals and companies that are yet to submit their income tax returns, even if tax has been deducted at source on their incomes.