Pay your tax and hold your head high- Finance Minister

Pay your tax and hold your head high- Finance Minister

        No citizen of India should fear a tax collector by paying taxes and should know that no tax evader will go uncaught as government has much information today with computerization and digitalization.  Sending a stern message to tax offenders, Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram today said that the Central Board of Indirect taxes has launched an amnesty scheme ‘Voluntary Compliance Encouragement Scheme (VCES) 2013 to encourage dormant service tax payers and bring them back in tax net during 2013-14.

He was addressing an interactive meet with the representatives and members of trade, industry, service associations and Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Service tax Voluntary Compliance

Encouragement Scheme (VCES) in Mumbai. Stating that 17 lakh people had voluntarily registered for filing their service taxes, he said only seven lakh actually pay their taxes. "So, ten lakh people do not pay. Therefore, we have to reach out to these 10 lakhs. We will give them an opportunity.  A fair and generous opportunity and package and let them come forward. At the end of this exercise, I hope a vast majority of the 17 lakh will become tax payers."  he said. The minister said that the VCES was notified on 10th May 2013 and will be open till 31st December 2013. The scheme is valid for the tax dues for the period October 2007 to December 2012. He further said, service tax payers opting for the VCES scheme would enjoy waiver form interest, penalty and prosecution and also eligible to pay the tax dues in easy instalments. Shri Chidambaram appealed the trade and industry to benefit from the scheme and feel proud by paying the tax to the government.

Minister of State for Finance (Revenue) Shri J.D. Seelam, Miss. Praveen Mahajan, Chairperson CBEC and senior officers were present in the interactive meet.