FM Sitharaman urges I-T department to adopt taxpayer-friendly approach, uphold integrity

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday urged the Income Tax department to work for the benefit of common people without making them run from pillar to post.

She also went public with her disappointment at the "laidback" nature of government departments, which leads to illegal occupation or encroachments on government lands and underlined the need for integrity in conduct from all officials.

Citing the challenges faced by the department in getting permissions to construct a building in the Nariman Point business district, which she inaugurated on Sunday, Sitharaman said these experiences, despite serving in the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), would have given them an idea of what the common man goes through.

An IRS officer has the name of the Income Tax department behind him, a "powerful force to frighten people", Sitharaman reminded, adding that despite this, the officials had to run from pillar to post to get clearances from authorities to proceed with work on the 13-floor building.

"Can this (experience) incentivise you to understand the position of a common citizen when he approaches you? Don't make them run from pillar to post where your authority is required; do the work for them," the FM said.

The minister was quick to say that she is not asking the officials to break the rules or do something out of the way for the common citizens but rued that it takes a lot of effort in this country for people to get their rightful claims.

The land parcel on which Aaykar Sindhu, the 1.13 lakh sq ft building, is built, had been with the I-T department since 1973, Sitharaman said, adding that despite this, illegal occupations had sprouted up on the land.

"The fact that you led it to have occupations, illegal occupation, shows somewhere in our governance, we are too laid back. It is somebody's job to take care of our assets, and when it is encroached, we say, oh, we have the land, but we can't build it," she said.

Sitharaman also promised to look into the issue of many of the I-T officials not staying in official accommodations in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai areas, hinting that half of them do not enjoy such a facility and also travel for long to get to workplaces.

Stating that she would prefer government-to-government transfer of lands for the purpose, Sitharaman assured that she will facilitate the quick transfer of lands and other aspects like getting the permissions, building, dealing with CPWD (Central Public Works Department), assigning contracts and tenders will be the job I-T officials will have to perform.

"Get it all done at the earliest so that we do not get into the second half of the 21st century with scattered office spaces, rental accommodation in a city, which is fast growing and expect to pay rents or lease rental at phenomenal rates," she said.

She particularly mentioned state-run BSNL, asking officials to get the telco's land and promised to speak with her counterpart minister.

Meanwhile, she also used the opportunity to underline the importance of integrity in the discharge of a critical work like tax collection for the country.

"Integrity is the one and only principle I will advocate to each one of you," she said