Tax advocates threaten stir

Statesman News Service

MALDA, May 29: The North Bengal Tax Bar Advocates’ Association threatened to launch an agitation against some Income-Tax employees, who are allegedly practising law privately. The decision was taken at the second consecutive meeting of the association members of the six districts here yesterday. Mr Apurba Saha, secretary of NBTBAA, said: “Income-Tax employees mainly in Malda and North Dinajpur are practising as tax consultants or advocates privately and thereby violating our rights.” Mr Gajanand Agarwal, president of the NBTBAA and other senior members of the association said the matter would be reported to the chief commissioner of the I-T and Central Board of Direct Taxes. The association members also organised an academic session at Malda yesterday, where they criticised the policies adopted by tax officials. Office-bearers said the organisation has been set up for the betterment of advocacy and taxpayers. Association members said they nurtured doubts about certain instructions in a recent circular which stated that taxpayers would have to show at least Rs 50,000 expenses per year in returns. In many cases, it was difficult to show Rs 50,000 as expenses for one member in a “joint family”.It was also alleged that tax officials treat advocates as “development officers” at times but failed to consider proposals for better revenue collection for the government. “To achieve the tax collection target just before the end of the financial year, officials rely on us and use us as ‘development officers’. “We extend out help to step up the tax collection but they do not cooperate with us,” Mr Goutam Chakraborty, assistant secretary of the NBTBAA, said.