Taxpayer-friendly schemes woo China

A six-member delegation from China recently visited Mumbai to learn about taxpayer-friendly schemes initiated by the income tax (I-T) department.

A six-member delegation from China recently visited Mumbai to learn about taxpayer-friendly schemes initiated by the income tax (I-T) department.

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The delegation from the international taxation department, state administration of taxation, China, visited Aaykar Bhavan, the head office of the I-T department in Mumbai, on September 26. The delegation was headed by Wang Kang, a senior official of the department.

I-T officials said the delegation spoke to the chief commissioner of income tax, Mumbai, and other senior officials.

During the interaction, which went on for around three hours, the delegation learned about various taxpayer-friendly schemes initiated by the department in India.

Officials said the scheme that impressed the delegation most was the “Aaykar Seva Kendra”, which is a single-window system to address tax-related grievances of taxpayers and answer their queries.

In Mumbai, the scheme is being set up at the I-T office in Bandra Kurla Complex. It will be operational in the next few months. The delegation was also impressed with the Large Taxpayer Unit scheme. Under this scheme, big direct and indirect taxpayers pay both kinds of taxes under one roof at Cuffe Parade. “They were also impressed with the electronic return filing system and the tax return preparer (TRP) scheme,” a senior I-T official said.

The department has nominated TRPs in various parts of the city and the country who help taxpayers in filing electronic returns at nominal rates. The delegation also keenly followed the relationship between the tax authorities and intermediaries such as chartered accountants and TRPs.