The city now has an “Aaykar Seva Kendra” (ASK), a one-stop-shop computerised facility providing all taxpayers services as described in the Department's “Citizen Charter”, B.S.N. Prasad, Commissioner of Income Tax, Mangalore, has said.
He was speaking after K. Satyanarayana, Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Bangalore, and Cadre Controlling Authority, Karnataka and Goa, inaugurated the kendra here on Monday.
He said the kendra had a front office with trained IT personnel, an information kiosk and Internet. Taxpayers could fill and file IT returns and other applications, ascertain permanent account numbers (PAN), check credit status for tax deducted at source (TDS), and access it for redressal of grievances. Its aim was to promote voluntary tax compliance through improved taxpayer services. There were 60 kendras in the country. Mangalore was identified by Union Finance Minister in his 2011 budget speech as one of 17 centres for setting up a kendra in the current financial year, Mr Prasad said.
Ananthakrishna, Chairman of Karnataka Bank, said that it was now possible to make online payments of advance tax from the kendra.
Dilip Kumar, Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Panaji, who presided over the function, said that the kendra was for those who paid their taxes and not for tax evaders. “Services we have for the tax-compliant. For tax evaders, we have regulated machinery to check tax evasion,” he said.
Mr. Kumar said that this year had been difficult for the department in collecting taxes. With rising interest rates putting pressure on margins, tax collections had been affected. While tax collections in the country had increased by 10 per cent, collections in the Bangalore region rose by 15 per cent. “But in Mangalore, we have been doing badly,” he said. In the personal IT collection from Mangalore, the department collected Rs.300 crore, paid Rs. 400 crore as refund, leaving Rs.100 crore as outstanding. With corporate income tax, the same happened last year too, he said. There were cashew, fishing, and education businesses which should reflect in the economy. “Collection is not up to the mark,” he said. He told presspersons later that the department would “catch people who don't show the income in their accounts”. While smaller taxpayers paid, large taxpayers found reasons not to pay their taxes.
He said the department would follow up on property dealers, who were not returning the due cash. “From where (is) the money is coming? Buildings are sold also so where is the profit going? Mangalore needs a lot of hard work,” he said.
He said that the beedi and jewellery industries paid their taxes. The city had 50 individuals who paid more than Rs.1 crore as tax, he said.
The department wanted to increase enforcement so that it was tough for tax evaders and provide facilities to small taxpayers.
“We know how to deal with tax evaders....we want our due taxes,” he said.
Mr. Satyanarayana said that the reason for the low corporate tax collection in Mangalore was that this year, some banks, especially public sector banks, had not paid their taxes. The overall decline of economy was another reason, he said.
