159th Income Tax Day celebration held in Visakhapatnam

C.R. Pati, IRS, Chief Commissioner of Income-tax, Visakhapatnam had organised the celebration for 159^thyear of Income Tax Day in Daspalla Hotel, Visakhapatnam on 24 July 2019. The event focused on showcasing the achievements of the Income Tax Department, the previous year, and also to felicitate the top taxpayers, and senior citizen taxpayers.

The Vice Chancellor of Damodaram Sanjeevayya National Law University (DSNLU), Prof. (Dr.) S. Surya Prakash, presided as the Chief Guest at the Income Tax Day celebration. Addressing the crowd, Prof. (Dr.) S. Surya Prakash mentions the importance of paying taxes to Exchequers on time and also throws light on the value and culture we embrace. Furthermore, he commends the senior citizens of Visakhapatnam who have been dutifully paying taxes for the last 50 years without fail.

A presentation was exhibited at Income Tax Day celebration sharing details about the rise in tax collection in Visakhapatnam Region vis-à-vis all India. In the last 5 years, the Visakhapatnam Region has seen a rise in tax collection by 34% on an average, whereas all over India the rise has been marked at 15%. There has also been a 41% growth in widening the tax base i.e., adding new income tax assesses. Whereas, all India growth is been 25% for the same. In addition to this, a video sent by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), New Delhi, Ministry of Finance was also exhibited at the event. The video focused on the steady rise in tax collection in the Indian subcontinent, while stating that the last five years have witnessed a rapid increase in tax collection from Rs. 6.9 lakh to Rs. 11.37 lakh, translating a 78% growth.

According to the reports, there were 177 surveys u/s 1334 conducted last year in Visakhapatnam Region, yielding an additional income of Rs.494Cr. During the Income Tax Day event, the Chief Commissioner of Income-tax, Visakhapatnam, C.R. Pati also appealed to all tax-payers to pay their due taxes, file Returns of Income in time and contribute to the development of the nation.

Dignitaries belonging to the industry, such as, G. Sambasiva Rao, K. Mallikarjuna Rao and K.V.V. Raju participated in the Income Tax Day event. They were requested to give suggestions to the department to maximize the tax collections without intruding into the privacy of the Assesses i.e, how to increase the tax collections with voluntary compliance and accordingly they gave their suggestions. The Tax Representatives A.V. Chalam, D. Prasanna Kumar and M. Chalapathi Rao, were also requested to guide the taxpayers and see that the due taxes are paid to the Exchequer.

Prior to closing the event, Ch. Omkareshwar, IRS, Pr. Commissioner of Income-tax (Central), Visakhapatnam was felicitated with a memento and a shawl by C.R. Pati, Chief Commissioner of Income-tax, Visakhapatnam, for organizing highest number of Surveys u/s.133A and yielding the additional income of more than Rs.1000 Cr. in the last 4 years. He also congratulated all the officers and officials who participated in these Surveys.