India moving from tax terrorism to tax transparency: PM Narendra Modi

BHUBANESWAR: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday said that the country is now moving from tax terrorism to tax transparency. Inaugurating the office-cum-residential complex of Cuttack bench of Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) through video-conference, the Prime Minister said that the change has come due to the approach of reform, perform and transform. Rules and procedures are being reformed with the help of technology, he said and added that steps are being taken to transform the mindset of the tax administration.

Remembering former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik, Modi said that the much-required project could not have been possible without his vision and contribution. He said that the bench will now provide modern facilities not only to Odisha, but to millions of tax payers of Eastern and North Eastern India and help in disposing of all pending cases in the region.

The Prime Minister said that when the difficulties of the country’s wealth creators are reduced and they get protection, then their trust grows in the country’s systems. “The result of this growing trust is that more and more partners are coming forward to join the tax system for the development of the country,” he said.
Stating that the thought process in the government is to trust the income tax return completely at first after being filed, the Prime Minister said as a result of this, 99.75 per cent of the returns filed in the country today are accepted without any objection. “It is a big change in the country’s tax system,” he said.

Modi said over the years the government has moved ahead and today’s tax payer is witnessing huge changes and transparency in the entire tax system. When the tax paper does not have to wait for months for a refund and gets it in within few weeks, then he feels there is transparency.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that the new infrastructure will help in quick disposal of cases from Odisha, Bihar and other parts of the country. This is third building for ITAT benches in India but the first in the eastern part of the country, he said and added that the Odisha government had provided land free of cost for the facility and all other possible assistance.

He recalled that the Cuttack bench was established in 1970 with active involvement of Biju Patnaik and added that in last 50 years, the Cuttack Bench of ITAT has been playing an important role in disposal of cases. 

He congratulated president, ITAT, Justice PP Bhatt and other agencies involved in speedy completion of this office-cum-residential complex here at Cuttack. Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad and Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan were among others who participated.