KATHUA: Income Tax Department today organised an outreach programme/interactive session with Drawing and Disbursing Officers of Kathua district here in the Conference Hall of DC office complex.
The interactive session was held under the overall supervision of Pr. Commissioner of Income Tax, Srinagar M.P Singh and under the guidance of Joint commissioner of Income Tax, Range-1 Jammu Rajeev Gubgotra.
DC State Taxes, Ranjit Singh; ADC Kathua, Deepika Rana; Chief Planning Officer and other DDOs of district Kathua attended the session in person and through virtual mode.
The primary aim of this outreach programme was to address the various issues faced by the income tax department, specifically focusing on fraudulent/fake deduction and claimed TDS refund made by income tax payers in their returns of income.
Income Tax Officer, Kathua M.B Raizada briefed the officers about the fraudulent availing of deductions and refunds by numbers of Officers/ Officials while filing their returns which is not only a serious offence but also has resulted in huge loss of exchequer to the government.
During the interactive session, the Income Tax Officer Kathua emphasized the seriousness of the complications arising from false and fabricated claims made by large numbers of employees. “Such actions qualify for severe action under Income Tax Act, 1961 & IPC in the form of heavy fines, it is therefore essential for all fraudulent claimants to file the ITR –U (updated return) to avoid any legal actions from the income tax department” , he added.
Furthermore, it is also advised by ITO Kathua in the interactive session that all taxpayers should submit their annual returns well in advance of the closing date, i.e., 31st July 2023. They were advised to file the return themselves through the income tax portal or to approach authorized income tax practitioners and not to fall prey to the fraudulent self-styled touts. They can also approach the Income Tax department Kathua for any type of guidance. This will help in ensuring compliance with the income tax regulations and avoid any unnecessary penalties or actions and urge all the DDOs, and staff members to adhere to the guidelines provided by the income tax department and fulfill their income tax obligations honestly and accurately. Failure to comply with these regulations can have serious consequences. DDOs were also advised to issue advisories in their own department following the directions of Chief Secretary UT J&K.
A Question Answer session was also held to enable DDOs and their employees to raise queries which were addressed by ITO, M B Raizada. He apprised them of their duties and responsibilities towards nation building.
Additional Deputy Commissioner, Deepika Rana also urged the DDOs to follow the income tax rules and regulations and adopt due diligence while assessing income and deduction details of all the employees under their respective offices.