Faceless tax assessment from Oct 8: FM

Mysuru: Faceless tax assessment will be introduced in the country on Vijayadashami, October 8, removing the need for one-to one interactions with assessees, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in Mysuru on Thursday.

Tax officials will use existing technology to seek information or clarifications from assessees. It’s yet another step to change perceptions that the income tax (I-T) department employs a high-handed approach towards taxpayers suspected to have committed infractions deliberately or inadvertently. Last week, TOI had reported that taxmen would adopt ‘nonthreatening’ language while seeking expense or other details.

“Under the new system, an assessee in Mysuru can be assessed by officers in Guwahati. There won’t be any one-to-one interaction. All information will be sought through available technologies and the assessment will be done randomly,” Sitharaman told reporters.