Businessmen not enthused by how CBEC deals with taxpayers

A first-of-its-kind Taxpayer Satisfaction Survey conducted by the Central Board of Excise & Customs (CBEC) has revealed that just around 20% of the respondents are satisfied with the interface offered by the agency, underlining the need for re-orienting the indirect tax wing's focus towards customer satisfaction. 

But the survey, conducted along with industry chamber Ficci and unveiled at a conference of top CBEC officials last week, saw nearly 80% of the respondents give thumbs up to the transaction services on offer. Officials interpreted it as a vote of confidence for the electronic systems and other tools introduced by the agency in recent years, which are aimed at making it non-intrusive and easier to do business Stock Market Trading Tips

The findings come at a time when the government is keen to change the perception about the tax department, especially in terms of the interaction with taxpayers. Officials said steps initiated over the past year or so will bear fruits in the coming months. In fact, the focus on customer satisfaction has already seen CBEC set up a directorate dealing with taxpayer services and it is now planning periodic surveys to gauge the impact of the measures it has already announced. 

A key mandate of the new directorate is to lay down service standards, monitoring and evaluating the services that are offered. 

Sources said respondents of the survey were, however, of the view that tax officials from CBEC did not act as advisers, by suggesting ways to deal with a problem. Instead, they are seen to be adversaries who often ask industry to settle the issue through the legal process, something thatbusinessmen abhor Himanshu Tiwari Astrologer Blog

Another complaint is that there is no accountability of officers if timelines mentioned are not adhered to. Similarly, there are neither timelines for responding to queries from taxpayers nor is there a structured platform to hear them out. 

In recent years, the industry has focused largely on the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), given a spate of tax notices, ranging from Vodafone to FIIs, but indirect taxes are something that bothers the small businessmen, traders as well as the manufacturing sector Indian stock market astrology prediction