ITGOA Flags Pressure to Rush Time-Barring Tax Assessments Amid pathetic Infrastructure

Key Points:

• The Income Tax Gazetted Officers’ Association has raised concerns about unrealistic deadlines for time-barring assessments amid significant infrastructural and staffing challenges.
• Officers are being pressured to complete assessments by specific dates despite ongoing dysfunction in the ITBA system and a lack of necessary resources, which could compromise assessment quality.
• The situation highlights systemic issues within the tax administration that could lead to institutional breakdown if immediate corrective actions are not taken.

Background: The Income Tax Gazetted Officers’ Association has communicated with the Central Board of Direct Taxes regarding operational difficulties faced by officers in Faceless Units and jurisdictional charges. These challenges include inadequate technology, staff shortages, and conflicting directives that strain the ability to meet imposed deadlines for tax assessments.

What's Next: The Association is urging the Central Board of Direct Taxes to intervene promptly to withdraw the artificial deadlines and consider extending statutory time limits if infrastructure issues persist.