Finance Minister, Nirmala Sitharaman, on Friday flagged the need for timely conclusion of any disciplinary proceedings against erring officers of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), saying it will help deliver the message that “any misconduct, dereliction of duty or unethical behaviour by officers will not be tolerated”.
Speaking at the inauguration of the CGST building in Ghaziabad, the minister asked tax officers to map recurring grievances in Central GST (CGST) zones to reach the “root cause” of problems.
On the issue of disciplinary proceedings against departmental officers, Sitharaman said, “The motto for disciplinary matters therefore should be: Ghalat kiya hai toh khair nahi, sahi kiya hai toh koi bair nahi (If you do wrong, you won't be forgiven, if you are right, there would be no ill feeling against you).”
Expediting closing of pending GST investigations, she said, should be evidence-based and well within reason to cut down litigation costs. Swift closing of such proceedings also reinforces accountability within the organization, the finance minister added.
“It clears up the public perception that there is a level of indifference or protectionism which prevails among officers that weaken one’s moral authority,” she noted.
Also Read: GST rate-cut prompted more buying; govt monitoring price cuts: FM
On the role played by technology in reducing tedious paperwork while filing taxes or seeking GST registration, Sitharaman urged the Goods and Services Tax (GST) officers to use technology to reduce compliance burden on taxpayers.
“Technology and risk-based parameters must do the heavy-lifting, and not the taxpayer. We do not want anybody from the field formation adding one little more burden or onus on the taxpayer. Technology should be used. You do smart inquiry into the situation, and if necessary the taxpayer may be approached for something. But no shifting of onus on him saying give me more papers, give me this, give me that,” she said.
The minister had another instruction for the tax officials: to “proactively” undertake tax payment facilitation measures while ensuring they deal with honest tax payers “politely” and “empathetically”.
“There is no iron wall between you and the trader, there is thin air. You can understand where the difficulty is, rather than muddy it up any further,” she said.
The ultimate goal of tax administration, Sitharaman said, is to make life easy for honest taxpayers, for which they should follow the laid-down SoP and “show greater empathy and courtesy”.
“It is important that you remain polite. The next-generation GST is not just about rates, slabs, simplification. It should make the taxpayer feel different,” she said, adding that politeness, however, should not be seen as a compromise on enforcement and the SoP should also be followed to bring the “bad sheep” to the books.
“I do not want comfort given to dishonest taxpayers in any way. You do not have to be subjective with them (dishonest taxpayers). There is a laid protocol, deal with them in that way...be polite and get your work done as per the SoP”, she said, adding, “But, don’t look at everybody with suspicion.”
Follow us
