The next time an Income Tax team raids your business premise they will not seize anything but instead leave the name and contact number of their boss with you. The I-T team will do so even before they begin the raid and the step has been taken to do away with any grievance related to harassment or corruption by I-T officials under the garb of such operations.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), which is the controlling authority of the Income Tax department, has asked the I-T “survey parties” to carry a sheet having the names, landline and cellphone numbers of their Chief Commissioner, Commissioner, Additional Commissioner and Joint Commissioner in their kit and hand it over to the taxpayer.
The order, issued by CBDT Chairman Sudhir Chandra, said the step has been taken to bring “transparency in survey operations and obviate the possibility of any grievance to the taxpayer.”
The order has been issued for ”survey” operations of the department which are carried out under section 133A of the I-T Act under which the I-T department officials can enter a business premise and can inspect account books and financial statements, verify the cash, stock or other valuable articles, record the statement of any individual but cannot make any seizures.
Under such an operation, the I-T department officials do not visit the residential premises of the assessee.
This does not serve the intended purpose of CBDT circular. What is important is that a neutral person/ an ombadsman to be present at the time of taking a statement at the end of the Survey. This will remove undue influence..