Include CAs in Priority Group for Vaccination & Professional works: KSCAA

Karnataka State Chartered Accountants Association

 Date 10th June, 2021

To.

Dr. K Sudhakar,
Hon’ble Minister – Health and Family Welfare Department.
Governmental Karnataka
Bengaluru.

Respected Sir,

SUBJECT: REPRESENTATION SEEKING INCLUSION OF CHARTERED ACCOUNTANTS IN TO ‘PRIORITY GROUP’ FOR COVID VACCINATION AND FOR PERFORMING PROFESSIONAL WORK AS USUAL

The Karnataka State Chartered Accountants Association (R) (in short ‘KSCAA’) is an Association of Chartered Accountants, registered under the Karnataka Societies Registration Act, in the year 1957. KSCAA is primarily formed for the welfare of Chartered Accountants and represents before various regulatory authorities to resolve the problems/hardships faced by Chartered Accountants and business community.

The Chartered Accountants are primarily the members of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) a premier statutory body established by an Act of Parliament namely The Chartered Accountants Act 1949 (Act No XXXVIII of 1949) for regulating the profession of Chartered Accountancy in India. The ICAI is the second largest professional body of Chartered Accountants in the world, with a strong tradition of service to the Indian economy in public interest.

We convey our congratulations and applaud the efforts of the Government of Karnataka and the entire Administration of the State for undertaking various measures in containing Corona virus spread m the state, due to which over past few days there is a steady and gradual reduction in the number of Corona positive cases. It is pertinent to Inform that, we CA’s possess professional expertise, vast experience and deep knowledge in the areas of financial controls, financial accounting, financial audit and risk management and these skill-sets could be of great help and assistance to the Government In better financial management in relation to Covid relief and containment activities. It would be an endeavour of CA’s to meet our social obligation by providing professional services beyond corporate sector and to the public at large by being true to our role of  being a partner in nation building. At KSCAA it would be an honour and privilege for us to work in the public interest in collaboration with Government of Karnataka in fighting the war against Corona by helping ensure that she financial disciplines and financial controls are in place and operational in mobilization and use of public resources.

In the past 15 months, it is heartening to inform that KSCAA as It rightly considers itself as a responsible and socially conscious organ of the society in its pursuit of supporting and supplementing the Government’s on-going Corona relief and containment efforts, in its humble endeavours it has made its valuable contributions by supplying more than 40number of oxygen concentrators to the needy citizens across the length and breadth of our State, it has conducted Covid vaccination drive For its CA members, their staff and families covering around 1100 number of total beneficiaries at Bengaluru and has supplied more than 24,000 number of food packets to the migrant destitute workers & their Families who were badly affected by first wave of this Pandemic. Few of the pictures of these noble activities that KSCAA has carried are herewith attached far your information. Further, KSCAA sincerely endeavours to organize Covid vaccination drive similar to its recent drive in Bengaluru, for its CA members, staff members and their families at various cities and districts locations in the state outside Bengaluru, however alas, due to shortage in the supply of vaccines and lack of infrastructural and technical support From authorised private hospitals, we are unfortunately handicapped to reach up to alland vaccinate our CA members, their staff and families who are residing in the State outside Bengaluru.

The Chartered Accountants (CA) fraternity has always worked and lived up to the spirit of Partners in Nation Building and it has been its ceaseless endeavour of working towards keeping India’s economy and financial system afloat. The CA’s work in close harmony with Government & its regulatory bodies on the one side and the diligent & hardworking taxpayers of our Country on the other side by ensuring that the taxpayers comply with all fiscal statues for instance the GST and income tax and pay their share of lawful taxes in a lawful manner to the Government on a timely basis. Aside from fiscal statutes, the CA’s are also responsible for ensuring that the citizens and entities comply with other statues related to Corporate laws, co­-operative society, FEMA, etc.

By virtue of professional obligations of providing various services such as consultations, statutory compliance service, representation service and the mainly Audit & attest services it is for CA’s and their staff members an absolute necessity of venturing out and taking up travel within the states and across the country to the client’s offices, plants, branches, warehouses and to departmental offices, tribunals, etc. These absolute and unavoidable necessities of travel present themselves with vulnerabilities and risks of CA’s and their staff members being exposed to contraction with Corona virus. The Government has recently provided only a limited and temporary breathing space in performing various statutory compliances by the taxpayers by pushing forward their timelines, however these compliances which may be monthly, quarterly, half yearly or annual as the case may he have to be mandatorily completed over next few months as the second wave of the Corona slowly subsides. We would like to bring to your kind notice that, various statutory compliances under statutes such as GST. Income tax, Company law, Co­-operative society’s law, etc. [which are at present under temporary suspension mode) cannot just be completed without the active involvement, physical travel & movement and diligent efforts of CA’s and its staff members by providing professional services to their respective client’s.

The CA’s in its true spirit are the Partners in Nation Building have no hesitation in taking up these professional challenges headlong especially in these difficult times the Country is facing however it was disheartening to note that Government in its policy related to Corona has so far not recognized our fraternity as a class of PRIORITY GROUP to leeway to our CA members and their staff members in discharge of their professional functions and also to provide vaccination of our members, staff and their families on a priority bums. We urge your good selves to kindly recognize the significance of CA’s role and their professional services in bringing back to normal track the Countries economy which is in slumber at present after it has suffered the shocks of series of lockdowns across the country and myriad of other restrictions to recent Few months.

As there is a shortage in the supply of Vaccines in the State, we at KSCAA on behalf of all the CA’s in the state humbly implore upon your good selves to do the needful in prioritising the vaccination of CA’s, their staff and families of age group 18 to 44 by classifying the CA’s as PRIORITY GROUP. This measure of your good selves should help to ensure that our CA members, their staff and their families to quickly get their vaccinations done especially at locations outside Bengaluru where there are no private hospitals providing this service. Aside from expediency and priority in vaccination, the classification of our CA members as PRIORITY GROUP would also help our CA members and their staff to undertake performance of their professional functions and assignments smoothly, efficiently and most effectively as Lock down restrictions would relatively be relaxed to them. To re-iterate, from now onwards until January 2022 there are a myriad of statutory and regulatory compliances that are due to be met by taxpayers which could not be just possible and even envisaged without the active involvement and rendition of services by CA members and their staff. Therefore it becomes all the more important to categorise our CA members as PRIORITY GROUP to perform their Functions in a smooth and unhindered way having regard and subject to adherence to limited restrictions or protocol, if any Government places.

We are Optimistic that, your good selves would definitely make an ‘all out’ effort to ensure that necessary steps are taken in this regard to provide much needed relief by classifying CA‘s as PRIORITY GROUP and thereby help expediting vaccination of our CA members, their staff and their families and also help ensure that our CA members and their staff perform their functions in a very smooth, efficient and most effective manner.

Yours sincerely,

Download Representation Seeking Inclusion of Chartered Accountants In To ‘Priority Group’ For Covid Vaccination And For Performing Professional Work As Usual