No more taxing times; FM asks tax hounds to have human face

CALL it a tax collection with a human face. Finance minister Pranab Mukherjee has asked the country’s taxmen to take a human approach in collecting taxes. Urging the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers to consider tax payers as important stakeholders in nation-building, he pointed out the shift in policy whereby tax payers are not seen as adversaries, and that has resulted in a significant growth in tax collection during the past decade. Finance minister gave his own prescription to the taxmen while addressing the 63rd batch of IRS trainees on Thursday evening.

No wonder, direct taxes collection has increased by 10 times during the past decade, and its share has now gone up to over 55 %. He also appreciated efforts by the taxmen when he reminded the IRS officials that it was due to increased tax buoyancy and collection efforts of revenue departments that the government was able to waive off the loans to farmers amounting to Rs 71,000 crore.

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