The Madurai region of the Department of Income Tax has a target of Rs. 750-crore tax collection this fiscal, said Commissioner of Income Tax (Madurai) M. Krishnasamy in Madurai on Tuesday.
The Madurai region comprises Theni, Dindigul, Madurai, Sivaganga, Ramanathapuram, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli, Tuticorin and Kanyakumari districts. Speaking at an awareness meeting on ‘Tax deduction at source / tax collection at source,’ the Commissioner said that Rs. 500 crore had been collected till December. With less than three months left in this financial year, the department would achieve the planned target, Mr. Krishnasamy said, adding that such awareness meetings would be held in select district headquarters.
Tax deduction at source (TDS) was a statutory obligation. The drawing and disbursing officials in public and private sectors had the accountability to ensure that TDS was collected from each and every qualifying assessee. “TDS is thrust on us by a Central Act. Hence, the officials should ensure collection and refund to the assessee. If the rules are followed meticulously, TDS may not be tedious,” Mr. Krishnasamy said.
Appreciating the large turnout of people from various sectors, including Central and State government offices, the Commissioner of Income Tax, M.S. Chandrasekaran, said that the department collected direct taxes on behalf of the Central government. A whopping 90 per cent of the collected tax money — about Rs. five lakh crore nationally — was spent for public welfare by the State governments. Thus, it was mandatory for all to pay taxes, he said.
The Regional Joint Director (Pay and Accounts), Ganesan, said that periodic awareness meetings on TDS had helped in taking the message to the employees on the need for filing returns. Doubts of employees on the TDS could be clarified and the legal consequences of not filing returns could be emphasised through forums such as this, he said.
Technical sessions such as TDS on contract; TDS on commission, brokerage, rent, land acquisition; and TDS on salary and pension were handled by officials led by R.B. Naik from Chennai.
According to S. Ambethkar, Income Tax Officer (TDS Ward, Madurai), nearly 40 per cent of the tax collections of Rs. 750 crore came in from TDS assesses in Madurai region.
There were four TDS ranges in the Madurai region — Madurai, Virudhunagar, Tirunelveli and Tuticorin.
