Niramla Sitharaman said that efforts should be made to increase the tax base from 8 crore currently as desired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday asked taxmen to firmly deal with those who try to evade taxes and game the system but act as facilitators to those who want to pay taxes honestly. While she stressed that taxpayers should treat tax payment as contribution towards nation building and not as punishment, the minister asked three investigating wings of the revenue department to share information among themselves to nab evaders.
Addressing officers at the Income Tax Day celebration here, Sitharaman said that efforts should be made to increase the tax base from 8 crore currently as desired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
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She also said that the direct tax collection target of Rs 13.35 lakh crore for 2019-20 set in Budget was achievable, as the tax department has doubled the collection in the last five years.
“…Those gaming the system are the ones you (taxmen) have to keep a watch on… data mining, big data usage are all instruments in your hand to understand where the wrongdoing is happening and I am with you if you are firm on those people. I am fully with you if you are really firm on gaming,” she said.
Source: Economic Times
