Chandigarh (Satish Handa): Launch of full-fledged ‘Transparent Taxation’ platform by Prime Minister, the faceless e-Assessment scheme by the Income Tax Department will be an effective tool for both the taxpayers and the tax authorities as businesses look for technology-driven and transparent governance, Deepak Soof of the ASSOCHAM Chandigarh said that the Prime Minister has launched a game-changing enlarged and wider version of the ‘Transparent Taxation’ platform, encompassing faceless assessment and appeal.

 Sood said, the existing e-assessment scheme has already brought in several positive features, taxpayers receive notices on their registered emails as well as on registered accounts on a web-portal of the Income Tax Department, specially created for the purpose without any need to establish any personal contact with any IT official, the taxpayer can send replies by email to the National e-Assessment Centre. The entire process of scrutiny and assessment is faceless and system-driven.”If a return goes for assessment and certain queries are raised by the assessing officer, the same can be answered online,” Sood said saving of compliance cost and time would be the key factors and both individual taxpayers, businesses and the tax authorities should treat the faceless e-Assessment scheme as a major reform in e-governance treated as a system-driven scheme.

 ASSOCHAM Secretary General, said their chamber would provide a common platform to the taxpayers and the authorities to work for mutual interest and one of the suggestions received from the members was to make online communication between the taxpayer and authorities and the overall feeling among the taxpayers is that such schemes can go a long way in bringing reforms in direct taxation but the relationship between the taxpayer and the government should be seamless, fearless and the one that cements mutual confidence.