March 16, 2022
Luizinho Faleiro makes a Zero Hour mention on the hardship and harassment faced by the people of Goa because of the faceless Income Tax assessment
Thank you, Chairman, Sir, for permitting me to raise this very important issue. On behalf of Goa TMC, I would like to bring to the notice of hon. Finance Minister the hardships and the harassment faced by the honest tax-payers in Goa on account of Faceless Assessment Scheme, Faceless Penalty Procedure Scheme and faceless disposals.
Sir, you may be aware that Goa is the only State in India which follows the Common Civil Code. In fact, Goa is the only State in India which fulfils Article 44 of the Constitution of India, and, therefore, the Government of
India, by bringing the Finance Act, have amended and brought Section 5A of the Income-Tax Act. The people in Goa, especially the tax-payers, have been enjoying this Section 5A for the last six decades. However, with the
introduction of the faceless scheme, the people of Goa are facing very highpitch demands because Section 5A is supposed to be helping the apportionment of income between the spouses. Now, many of the officers in the Income-Tax Department don’t have the knowledge of Section 5A, and, therefore, it is leading to very high-pitch demands followed by penalty proceedings, recovery of taxes, though the tax-payers file the returns in compliance with all the provisions of the Act. I know about some cases where many people, who are earning hardly Rs.15 to 20 lakhs per annum, are given notices to pay up to Rs.8 crores. I know one lady whose income is Rs.20 lakhs. She has been issued a notice to pay Rs.8 crores. She finally got a massive heart attack and she landed in the intensive care unit. The Government cannot afford to be so cruel even though the Income-Tax officials are. The Government has to be humane, fair and just. My request to you and to the hon. Finance Minister is to have a review of the Faceless Assessment Scheme in Goa and ensure proper implementation of Section 5A. Thank you, Sir.
