PM Narendra Modi outlines RAPID, five-point mantra to reform and broaden tax net

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has outline RAPID, five-point mantra to tax officials to reform and broaden the direct tax net base.
The new five point charter for tax administrators RAPID means R for Revenue, A for Accountability, P for Probity, I for Information and D for Digitization.
It was announced while inaugurating Rajasva Gyan Sangam, a two-day Annual Conference of Senior Tax Administrators in New Delhi.
Key Facts

• The five point charter seeks to bring reform to country’s age old and redundant revenue administration, which still has a huge hangover of the British colonial legacy.
• It also seeks to make the tax system easier and accessible for the tax payers at the same time make it difficult to the defaulters who bend the system.
• It takes into consideration the need of the hour i.e. introduction economic reforms in the revenue sector for enhancing respect for the law of the land amongst common citizens.
• It also indirectly inches towards lessening the burden of so-called ‘tax payment’ which is deeply ingrained in our ossified edifice of the tax administration.

Rajasva Gyan Sangam

• It is a national platform that seeks to assess the performance of the year gone by and to deliberate on emerging issues without any hierarchical barriers.
• During the conference, PM Modi also motivated the revenue officers towards achieving high standards in taxpayer friendly service in view of fast paced changes in the world economy.
• He also asked the senior tax officials to widen the tax payers base from the existing 5.4 crore to 10 crore households.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2016