
FM directs CBDT to fast-track redressals
New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday directed the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to significantly reduce pendency in grievance redressal mechanisms such as CPGRAMS and e-Nivaran pertaining to the department. She also emphasised that prompt and time-bound disposal of taxpayer grievances is essential for ensuring responsive governance.
Chairing the Conclave of Principal Chief Commissioners of Income-tax here, the minister was apprised about key performance indicators.Out of the total 160,229 grievances (CPGRAMS and E-nivaran) for FY 2025-26, 1,31,844 grievances were resolved (up to 17.06.2025), leading to 82.28 per cent disposal. Refunds issued for FY 2025-26 (as on June 19) saw 58.04 per cent annual growth, showing better taxpayer services.

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Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Nearly half of Delhi's liquor licensees apply for renewal
Around half of Delhi's hotels, clubs and restaurants with excise licenses to serve liquor applied for renewals within 24 hours of the excise department issuing a circular mandating fresh licenses, two officials aware of the matter said on Saturday. A liquor store in Delhi. (AFP) The officials cited above added that approximately 40% of Delhi's 713 government-run retail liquor stores have also submitted renewal applications. They clarified there is currently no threat of a disruption in liquor supply in the Capital. On Friday, the Delhi government extended the existing liquor policy till March 2026 — one of the longest such extensions since the controversial 2021-22 excise regime was scrapped in September 2022 over alleged irregularities. Delhi has around 1,000 licensees in the hotels, clubs, and restaurants (HCR) category, including L16 (independent restaurants), L17 (hotels), and L18 (clubs). 'By Saturday afternoon, roughly 50% of HCR licensees had applied through the excise portal. The entire process, including payment, is online. We are working to ensure that those who pay the required fees get their renewed licenses before June 30,' said an excise official. The apparent urgency stems from the fact that the existing licenses — issued in March — expire on June 30. Without renewal, establishments cannot order fresh liquor stock or serve alcohol from July 1 onward. The tight deadline has left the hotels, clubs, and restaurants across the city are scrambling to renew their licenses in time, one of the officials cited above said. The official added that 40% of the retail stores run by the four Delhi government corporations have also initiated the renewal process. The e-Abkari portal handles the online application process, which requires licensees to upload documents such as a fire NOC and trade license. 'Once submitted, the documents are verified within two hours. If cleared, a payment link is emailed and texted to the applicant. After payment, the license is automatically generated,' said another excise department official. Despite the streamlined process, many restaurant owners have expressed concern over the short notice. 'We've been given just three days before the June 30 deadline. Two of those are weekend days, when we're busiest. The process is quick, but document scrutiny still takes time. The government should have given us at least a week,' said the owner of a Connaught Place restaurant, requesting anonymity. The government's decision to extend the current liquor policy again underscores the ongoing uncertainty around Delhi's excise framework. A new policy has been in the works for over 33 months but is yet to be finalised. Friday's extension means the city will continue operating under the 2020-21 excise policy, which has already been extended five times. Sandeep Anand Goyle, Delhi chapter head of the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI), urged the government to expedite the rollout of the new policy. 'The government has extended the current regime till the end of the financial year, but we request that a new excise policy be announced soon to encourage investment, employment, and to curb the flight of business to neighbouring cities. This will also boost government revenue,' he said. Excise officials, however, maintained that all applications submitted before the June 30 deadline will be processed on priority. 'There is no cause for panic. All establishments that follow the procedure and pay the required fee on time will receive their renewed licenses without disruption,' one of them said.


NDTV
5 hours ago
- NDTV
Government Extends Top Tax Authority CBDT Chairman's Tenure By A Year
New Delhi: The government has extended the tenure of Ravi Agrawal as the Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) by another year. The CBDT is the apex policymaking body of the Income Tax Department, and its chairman and members are senior Indian Revenue Service officers. "The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet has approved re-appointment of Ravi Agrawal, IRS as Chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes on contract basis, for a period of one year with effect from July 1, 2025 till June 30, 2026 or until further orders, whichever is earlier," the government order stated. The re-appointment will be on the usual terms and conditions applicable to re-employed Central government officers, in relaxation of the Recruitment Rules. Agarwal, a 1988 batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer from the income tax cadre, had succeeded Nitin Gupta, 1986 batch IRS officer, in June 2024 as Chairman of the CBDT. He was serving as a member of the CBDT (Administration) from July 2023 before his appointment as chairman. The CBDT is headed by a chairman and can have six members who are in the rank of special secretary. Meanwhile, CBDT has asked all the principal chief commissioners of Income Tax to exercise effective supervision over their assessing officers and make sure that questions sent by them to a taxpayer are justified, and that irrelevant queries are completely avoided. The apex body has directed Income Tax Department officials to ensure due application of mind while issuing notices for scrutiny and assessment of a taxpayer's return, emphasising that all queries should be relevant and specific. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman earlier this week asked income-tax officials to ensure that tax compliance processes are made simpler, more transparent and taxpayer-friendly. The Finance Minister also directed all principal chief commissioners of income tax to prioritise and accelerate the disposal of disputed tax demands that are currently pending before the faceless appellate authorities, the finance ministry said in a statement. About 577,000 appeals were pending at the start of the current fiscal year. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is targeting to address more than 225,000 appeals in FY 2025-26 involving over Rs 10 lakh crore of disputed demand. The Finance Minister highlighted that prompt and time-bound disposal of taxpayer grievances is essential for ensuring responsive governance.


Mint
7 hours ago
- Mint
Ravi Agrawal re-appointed as CBDT Chairman
The government has re-appointed Ravi Agrawal as the chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) for another year starting from 1 July, an official order said on Saturday. The decision was made by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), according to a statement from the department of personnel and training. The appointment is on contract basis from 1 July to 30 June 2026 or until further orders, whichever is earlier, the statement said. ACC also cleared the appointment of 1989 batch Indian Police Service officer Parag Jain as secretary, research and analysis wing (R&AW) under cabinet secretariat for two years, showed a separate order. Ravi Agarwal has been leading the tax authority's efforts to transform tax administration to a trust-based one, which relies on voluntary compliance. In the Union budget for 2025-26, the government announced personal income tax relief to middle-income earners, which is estimated to be worth ₹ 1 trillion in terms of revenue forgone. The move could spur consumption, boost the economy and in turn boost revenue receipts as well. Agarwal is also closely involved in drafting a new Income Tax Bill to replace the existing law. The government believes tax reform is key to realising the country's development goals. The new Income Tax Bill is expected to be clear and direct in text and in terms of both chapters and words, only close to half of the present law. A Parliamentary panel is currently looking into it. The new Bill is expected to be simple to understand for taxpayers and the tax administration, leading to tax certainty and reduced litigation. Under Agarwal's watch, the CBDT also rolled out a Vivad Se Vishwas Scheme in 2024 to resolve income tax disputes pending in appeal. The scheme has received a great response, with nearly 33,000 taxpayers having availed of this scheme to settle their disputes, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in her budget speech in February.