Lok Sabha Question No. 2783 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-28
Subject: Widening of Income Taxpayer Base
Ministry: FINANCE
Asked by: NARAMALLI SIVAPRASAD

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF FINANCE DEPARTMENT OF REVENUE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2783

## TO BE ANSWERED ON FRIDAY THE 28TH DECEMBER, 2018 7 PAUSHA, 1940 (SAKA)

## "WIDENING OF INCOME TAXPAYER BASE"

## 2783: DR NARAMALLI SIVA PRASAD

Will the Minister of FINANCE be pleased to state:

- (a) The salient features ofthe Income Tax Declaration Scheme; 2016;
- (b) the number of people who availed the scheme and the tax collections realized by the Government under the scheme;
- (c) whether the Government is planning to establish taxpayer centres across the country to increase awareness and widen taxpayer base;
- (d) if $0, the details thereof including role and responsibilities of these centres, location and State/UT-wise; and
- (e) the other steps taken by the Government to increase the income taxpayer base across the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF FINANCE: (SHRI SHIV PRATAP SHUKLA)

- (a) (i) The Government had introduced the Income Disclosure Scheme, 2016 ("the Scheme') vide the Finance Act; 2016 which was open for declarations from 01.06.16 to 30.09.16. filing
- (ii) Under the Scheme; a declaration could be made in respect ofany income or incorne in the form of irvestment in any asset located in India and acquired from income chargeable to tax under the Income-tax Act,1961('the Act') for any tc the assessment year 2017-18. prior
- (iii) Under the Scheme, those persons were eligible for making declaration who had either failed to furnish a return under section 139 of the Act; or failed to disclose such income in a return furnished before the date of commencement of the Scheme, Or such income had escaped assessment by reason of the omission O failure on the part of such person to make a return under the Act or to disclose fully and truly all material facts necessary for the assessment or otherwise
- (iv) The declarants were liable to pay tax at the rate of 30 percent of the value of such undisclosed income as increased by surcharge at the rate of 25 percent of such tax In addition; the declarants were also liable to pay penalty at the rate of 25 percent of such rax
- (b) The  number of  people who filed declarations under the Scheme was 71,000 (approx:) The collection realised by the Government from the Scheme was Rs. 23,621 thousand crore (approx):

(c) & (d) Yes Sir: To increase awareness and widen taxpayer base; taxpayers centers nainely Aaayakar Sewa Kendras ('ASK Centres') are being set up every year by the Income-tax Department; So far; a total of 400 ASK Centres have been set up throughout India: This year; it is proposed to set up 30 more new ASK Centres The State/UT-wise list of ASK Ceritres along with their role and responsibilities are enumerated in the Annexure:

- (e) Several legislative, administrative and enforcement measures have been taken by the Government to boost direct tax collections and widen the tax net such as:

(1) Expansion of scope of TDS and TCS to cover more types of financial transactions:

- (i) Expansion and strengthening of third-party financial transaction reporting to obtain wider range of data to identify tax-evasion or under-reporting of income:

Implernentation of Non-filers Monitoring System (NMS) to identify potential taxpayers on the basis ofthird-party data:

(iv) Follow up of data of cash deposits in bank accounts after demonetization to detect unaccounted income

(v) Action  against generation and country, through new legislations and stern enforcement

Promction of voluntary compliance through high level of   taxpayer service; expeditious resolution of grievance, ease of paying taxes and filing returns, recogniticn of honest taxpayer through issue of a certificate etc

## StateIUTwise List ofASK Centres

| Sr. No:         | State                      | Number of existing ASK Centres   | Number of ASK Centres proposed in FY 2018-19   |
|-----------------|----------------------------|----------------------------------|------------------------------------------------|
| 1               | Punjab_                    | 18                               | 5                                              |
| 2               | Himachal Pradesh           | 4                                |                                                |
| 3               | Haryana                    | 12                               |                                                |
|                 | Jammuand Kashmir           | 1                                |                                                |
| 5               | Gujarat                    | 31                               | 3                                              |
|                 | Maharashtra                | 35                               |                                                |
| 6               | Kerala                     | 16                               |                                                |
| 8               | Delhi                      | 3                                |                                                |
| 9               | Tamil Nadu                 | 36                               |                                                |
| 10              | Odisha                     | 16                               |                                                |
| 11              | Rajasthan_                 | 33                               |                                                |
| 12              | Madhya Pradesh             | 25                               |                                                |
| 13              | Chhattisgarh               | 9                                |                                                |
| 14              | Bihar                      | 10                               |                                                |
| 15              | Jharkhand                  | 7                                |                                                |
| 16              | Assam                      | 19                               |                                                |
|                 |                            | 1                                |                                                |
| 20              | Meghalaya                  |                                  |                                                |
| 21              | Andhra Pradesh             |                                  |                                                |
| 22              | Telangana                  | 5                                |                                                |
| 23              | Karnataka                  | 25                               |                                                |
| 24              | Goa                        | 1                                |                                                |
| 25              | West Bengal                | 22                               |                                                |
| 26              | Sikkim                     | 1                                |                                                |
| 27              | Uttar Pradesh              | 39                               |                                                |
| 28              | Uttarakhand                | 4                                |                                                |
| Union Territory | Union Territory            |                                  |                                                |
| 29              | Andaman and Nicobar Island |                                  | 1                                              |
| Total           | Total                      | 400                              | 30                                             |

## The role and responsibilities of ASK Centres:

- (i) ASK Centres act as a single window contact for the taxpayers fcr centralized receipt and registration of all representations including returns of income:
- (ii) These centres provide online   tracking  mechanism for each and every Dak and its constant monitoring at various levels hierarchies in the department
- (iv) These centres have a separate window that works Inquiry /Facilitation Counters for taxpayers
- (iii) These centres also provide various forms, leaflets and other relevant information which is ofinterest to the taxpayers:
- (v) These Centres also facilitate the monitoring and implementation of Citizens Charter of the Income Tax Department
- (vi) also provide a platform for registration and monitoring (f grievances through e-nivaran: They