Unrest is growing among the city’s residents against the move to shift Income Tax offices to Goa from Belagavi and Hubballi, as part of the restructuring of the department.
Industry and trade bodies, chartered accountants and other related agencies are seeking status quo . Representatives of the association of chartered accountants and trade bodies have given memoranda to the government with requests that the offices be retained in Belagavi.
Offices of the principal commissioner, the commissioner for appeals, two range joint commissioners, two assistant commissioners and six income tax officers are in Belagavi. This will be reduced to only one IT officer who will report to the range office in Hubballi, that will have two commissioners and 10 range officers.
Belagavi is the second biggest district in the State after Bengaluru. It also has the second highest concentration of industries and business and tax remittances. Hubballi and Dharwad in the neighbourhood are also tax generating centres. With these in mind, the IT offices should be kept functioning in Hubballi and Belagavi, the memoranda said.
The Centre’s move has also sparked a war on social media where young people, traders, businessmen and tax practitioners have opposed the decision.
In August, the Union government announced the shifting of offices to Goa, as part of the faceless assessment scheme and creation of national e-assessment centre and regional e -assessment centre in the department.
Union Ministers Suresh Angadi and Pralhad Joshi have met the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman asking her to retain the offices. Both the leaders have issued releases saying the Minister has assured them of looking into their requests.
