Nalin urges finance minister to reconsider merging of I-T office

Mangaluru: Dakshina Kannada MP Nalin Kumar Kateel urged finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to reconsider a decision taken by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to merge the office of the principal commissioner of income tax (administration) here with the office of the principal commissioner IT (administration) in Panjim. A gazette notification has been passed in this regard, but the order is yet to be issued, Nalin said.
In a five-page detailed letter to Nirmala, a copy of which was released to the media here, Nalin, said this news about the merger has left assesses as well as professionals rendering service in the coastal belt of Karnataka in a state of utter resentment. “I deem it my bounden duty to represent the citizens of my constituency with neighbouring Udupi and Uttara Kannada, and be their voice and ensure facts are brought to light,” he said.
Nalin drew the attention of the finance minister to the distance between Mangaluru and the proposed merged office in Goa, and problems that it will pose in accessibility to the taxpayers as well as their authorized representatives in this city. Noting that accessibility between Mangaluru and Panjim is either by road or train, Nalin said Mangaluru on the other hand is the only city in the state to have all four modes of transport —air, road, rail and sea.