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Govt to cap assessment numbers of tax filings

The income tax (I-T) department is considering a proposal to further cut the instances of scrutiny of taxpayers’ returns as it looks to sharpen focus on tax evaders and provide respite to honest taxpayers.

The department is looking to make the process completely based on information of possible tax evasion, said a tax department official, who did not wish to be identified.

Less than 1% of around 40 million taxpayers are selected for scrutiny every year to determine whether all the income earned is reflected in their tax return.

Taxpayers are at present selected for scrutiny based on a computer-assisted selection system or CASS. Typically those who have made high-value transactions are chosen for scrutiny.

“The tax department has set up a committee to look into how we can reduce the number of scrutiny cases further. We want to reduce the number of notices that are sent out and ensure that scrutiny is absolutely informationbased,” said the tax official cited earlier.

Currently, the tax department is flooded with information about high-value cash deposits in bank accounts post demonetisation.

09TH FEBRUARY, 2017, HINDUSTAN TIMES, NEW-DELHI

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