Nirmala Sitharaman asks Income Tax officials to serve citizens better

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman urged Income Tax officials to improve public service, avoid making citizens run from pillar to post and uphold integrity. She also criticised delays, highlighted encroachments on government land and promised to address infrastructure and accommodation issues

Mumbai: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday urged the Income Tax department to work for the benefit of common people without making them run from pillar to post.

She also expressed disappointment over the “laid-back” functioning of government departments, which leads to illegal occupation or encroachments on government land, and underlined the need for integrity in the conduct of all officials.

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Citing the challenges faced by the department in getting permissions to construct a building in the Nariman Point business district, which she inaugurated on Sunday, Sitharaman said these experiences, despite the officials serving in the Indian Revenue Service (IRS), would have given them an idea of what the common man goes through.

An IRS officer has the name of the Income Tax department behind him, a “powerful force to frighten people”, Sitharaman said, adding that despite this, the officials had to run from pillar to post to get clearances from authorities to proceed with work on the 13-floor building.

“Can this (experience) incentivise you to understand the position of a common citizen when he approaches you? Don’t make them run from pillar to post where your authority is required; do the work for them,” the Finance Minister said.

The minister was quick to clarify that she was not asking the officials to break the rules or do something out of the way for common citizens, but rued that it takes a lot of effort in this country for people to get their rightful claims.

The land parcel on which Aaykar Sindhu, the 1.13 lakh sq ft building, is built had been with the Income Tax department since 1973, Sitharaman said, adding that despite this, illegal occupations had sprung up on the land.

“The fact that you allowed illegal occupations shows that somewhere in our governance, we are too laid back. It is somebody’s job to take care of our assets, and when they are encroached upon, we say, ‘Oh, we have the land, but we can’t build on it’,” she said.

Sitharaman also promised to look into the issue of many Income Tax officials not staying in official accommodation in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, hinting that nearly half of them do not enjoy such a facility and have to travel long distances to reach their workplaces.

Stating that she would prefer government-to-government transfer of land for the purpose, Sitharaman assured that she would facilitate the quick transfer of land and other aspects such as getting permissions. Building construction, dealing with the CPWD (Central Public Works Department), and assigning contracts and tenders would be the responsibility of Income Tax officials.

“Get it all done at the earliest so that we do not enter the second half of the 21st century with scattered office spaces and rented accommodation in a city that is growing rapidly, and expect to pay rent or lease charges at phenomenal rates,” she said.

She particularly mentioned state-run BSNL, asking officials to acquire the telecom company’s land, and promised to speak to the minister concerned.

Meanwhile, she also used the opportunity to underline the importance of integrity in the discharge of a critical responsibility such as tax collection.

“Integrity is the one and only principle I will advocate to each one of you,” she said.