'New scheme to widen income tax base'

By Our Staff Reporter

ANANTAPUR, NOV. 19. The Chief Commissioner of Income Tax-3, Andhra Pradesh, Mr. R. Venkataramaiah, on Monday stated that the number of income tax payers in the State had gone up considerably during the last four or five years. He said they were aiming at "making income tax as mass tax from then class tax".

Addressing a press conference here, he said the main objective of application of 1/6 income tax scheme in smaller towns was to widen the tax base. Their target was to make at least 40 per cent increase in the number of income tax assessees this year over the existing assessees.

He reiterated that every person who is owning or using a telephone/mobile phone, motor vehicle, more than 600 square feet of residential premises or 100 square feet of commercial premises, having a credit card and having a club membership with more than Rs. 25,000 membership fee per annum had to file their returns in Form 2-C. They all have to file returns irrespective of their income level, he noted.

Asked as to how far it was justified to tax every telephone holder, which has become an essential facility rather than a luxury nowadays, Mr. Venkataramaiah said the drive would provide the income tax department a database which would be very useful in the coming years. It would also help the department know the prospective tax payers in the coming years, he said.

He stated that the department had achieved "good results" in the recent raids in the district. He noted that there were about 25,000 tax payers in Anantapur district so far and 3,000 more had filed their returns so far in response to the drive. He said only three town in the district - Anantapur, Hindupur and Gutakal were in the tax net so far. In addition, Dharmavaram, Tadipatri, Kadiri, Rayadurg, Gooty, Uravakonda, Kalyanadurg and Penukonda had also been brought under the tax net from the current year, he added.

The Commissioner of Income Tax, Tirupati, Mr. S.K.Mohanty, and the Additional Commissioner of Income Tax, Anantapur Range, Mr. K. Mohan Rao, were also present. Later, Mr. Venkataramaiah addressed a meeting on the application of 1/6 scheme in Anantapur district at Zilla Parishad meeting hall.

Meanwhile, according to the officials of BSNL, several telephone customers of the towns in the district are enquiring with them for surrendering their connections with the fear that they have to file income tax returns if they held the connection, if not they have to pay a fine of Rs. 5,000.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : Women's right to own property around Kolleru lake
           endangered
Next     : DGP sees many chinks in PWG armour