Tax officers to raise only specific queries in scrutiny: Hasmukh Adhia

NEW DELHI: Seeking to eliminate corruption and promote ease of doing business, the revenue department has asked field offices only to raise specific queries in income tax assessment cases picked up for scrutiny.

Issuing comprehensive norms for scrutiny, the Central Board of Direct Taxes ( CBDT) said questionnaires on specific issues should be sent to assessees so that there is no waste of man-hour and unnecessary visits to tax department are avoided.

"We are trying to evolve a system where the interface between the assessee and tax officials is minimum. This will also help in eliminating corruption and reducing harassment of of honest tax payers," Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia told PTI.

Under the new dispensation, he said, the focus of the department would be on e-scrutiny and the assessees will not have to queue up before tax offices without knowing what is required from them.

As per the instructions, tax officials should expeditiously complete in a certain number of hearings the case which has been taken up for limited scrutiny.

These initiatives form part of the drive to make the system more transparent and tax payer friendly, Adhia said adding, "I was taken aback to know that tax officials would summon assesses without raising any specific query".

Issuing the instruction, CBDT said that while issuing the first notice, the Assessment Officers (AOs) do not convey to assessees the specific compliance requirement like production of accounts and furnishing of documents.