Finance Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee announced the operationalisation of the income tax welfare fund which was pending since 1998. The fund has a corpus of Rs.100 crore and will be available for welfare activities of the employees of the income tax department. The finance Minister made this announcement while addressing the Annual Conference of Chief Commissioners and Director Generals of Income Tax, here today.
In continuation of announcement dated February 23, 2010, we wish to bring to the notice of IPCC/ ATC examinees who have appeared in May, 2010 examination but not yet registered for 35 hours Orientation Programme and 100 hours Information Technology Training (ITT) and unable to complete both the requirements latest by 10th July, 2010
Mr Palanimanickam noted that the Department’s efficiency had to be benchmarked by the satisfaction level of the users. He highlighted that a major source of dissatisfaction of income-tax assessees is with respect to refund of taxes. “The time taken to grant refunds is very high when compared to international standards,” the Minister said, adding that the department should set up a task force to revamp the system of tax refunds.
The Finance Ministry is likely to recommend freezing and closure of bank accounts found suspicious during the ongoing exercise by banks to collect information under the ‘Know Your Customer'(KYC) norms. Banks in both the national and private sector are at present undertaking a one-time exercise to ensure hundred per cent compliance of the KYC procedures from all– new and old–customers.
Amid strong public reaction to the judgement in the Union Carbide case, the government is understood to be looking at legal position to check if Carbide India’s non executive Chairman Keshub Mahindra could be barred from taking directorship in any company.
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has said banks should obtain senior management approval to continue business relationship with an existing customer who has subsequently become a politically exposed person and that banks should conduct customer due diligence (CDD) on politically exposed people (PEP).
The BJP today demanded that the income tax department, which has already assessed the documents seized in connection with the multi-crore money laundering scam involving former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, should submit a copy of its report to the CBI.
Even as Larsen and Toubro withdrew its proposal for an IT/ITeS Special Economic Zone (SEZ) citing uncertainty in tax treatment towards SEZs in the Direct Taxes Code (DTC), the Commerce Ministry has said the Finance Ministry is yet to consult it on the continuity of fiscal sops in the DTC to these tax-free zones.
Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee asked the revenue department to aim for a higher direct tax collection. The government had budgeted this year’s revenue collections at Rs 4,30,000 crore, against the revised target of Rs 3,87,000 crore last year.
In an important passenger friendly move, the Ministry of Railways has decided to accept two more proofs of identity for traveling on e-tickets. These are; i) Student Identity Card with photograph issued by recognised School/College for their students. ii) Nationalised Bank Passbook with photograph.
