New Delhi, Mar 23 (UNI) President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday said that the government had put in place steps to eradicate, or at least minimise, the curse of black money including demonetisation, Income Declaration Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana and the Benami Transactions Prohibition Act.
However, each of the measure requires cooperation and follow-up on the part of officers of the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), he told officer-trainees of the 71st batch of the Service when they called on him at the Rashtrapati Bhawan here.
Recalling the pivotal role played by IRS officers in the collection of direct taxes – such as income tax, corporate taxes and wealth tax-- Mr Kovind said they were front line soldiers in the battle against black money.
The President said he did not believe there was need to impress upon the officer-trainees the importance of honesty.
``For a Service so critical to our economic and national life, honesty is a given. It should be written into the DNA of the Revenue Service. Despite aberrations – and we have to admit there have been aberrations – common people still have great expectations from our public servants and particularly from the IRS,’’ he said.
Urging officers to be sensitive to the demands and the dignity of the honest tax payer who comes to them for a service, the President said IRS officers had a policy and regulatory role, but they were principally service providers.
``A tax payer is a partner of the tax collector, not an adversary,’’ he emphasised.
Stating that tax revenue was a reflection of the health of the economy, he said for a fast growing economy such as India, expected doubling of GDP in the coming decade will enhance tax revenues, and at the same time, pose challenges for the IRS.
``Their success will determine both their individual future – as well as the trajectory of the Indian economy,’’ he said.
From 2000-01, the first year of the millennium, to 2016-17, the share of direct taxes in overall tax collection of the Union Government had gone up from 36 per cent to just short of 50 per cent, he added.
UNI GP RSA 1651