Income Tax Department Conducts Outreach Programme to Raise Awareness Among Cops on Taxation and Refund Fraud Prevention
Jammu, November 11 (H.S): The Income Tax Officer Katra, Vijay Choudhary, organized an outreach programme aimed at educating police officers on tax matters.
As part of a series of outreach programmes conducted by the Income Tax Department, Jammu and Kashmir, under the supervision of M.P Singh, Principal Commissioner of Income Tax, Srinagar, and guidance of Rajeev Gubgotra, Joint Commissioner Income Tax, Range-1, Jammu, a seminar was held to engage with the police community.
During the interactive session, Vijay Choudhary emphasized the vital role of Direct Taxes in nation-building, infrastructure development, and the importance of honest tax payment.
He addressed the gathering about a concerning trend of fraudulent refunds obtained through incorrect deductions, which results in losses to the public treasury. Choudhary informed the audience that the Income Tax Department is closely monitoring such cases, and in identified instances, action is being taken not only by the Income Tax Department but also by State agencies.
Officials were sensitized and cautioned about the consequences of claiming wrongful refunds by availing false deductions under Chapter VI-A of the Income Tax Act. These consequences include penalties under Section 270A, amounting to 200 percent of the evaded tax, and prosecution proceedings under Section 276C of the Income Tax Act.
Furthermore, the ITO Katra advised taxpayers to submit their revised returns for Assessment Year 2023-24 well in advance of the December 31, 2023 deadline.
The attendees were also informed that individuals who had claimed fraudulent refunds through bogus deductions could rectify their returns by filing ITR-U for Assessment Year 2021-22 and 2022-23, while paying an additional tax of 50 percent and 25 percent, respectively, in addition to their actual tax liability.
The programme included a lively interaction with officials, addressing various issues related to the accurate filing of Income Tax Returns, the availability of various deductions under the Income Tax Act, and the benefits of tax calculations under both the old and new tax regimes.
Report by Krishan and Indrani
Credit: Hindusthan Samachar
