Modi hails decision to raise monetary limits for tax litigation
New Delhi, July 12 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday hailed the government's decision to reduce tax dispute litigation by not filing any appeals except in high-value cases.
He said the decision was in line with his government's belief of trusting the citizens.
The government had on Wednesday decided it will not file any appeals in appellate tribunals, High Courts and the Supreme Court in cases involving an amount less than Rs 20 lakh, Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore respectively.
The earlier limit for filing an appeal in appellate tribunals was Rs 10 lakh while it was Rs 20 lakh for High Courts and Rs 25 lakh for the Supreme Court.
"This move will result in withdrawal of 41 per cent of total cases by CBDT (Central Board of Direct Taxes) and 18 per cent of total cases by CBIC (Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs). This is in line with our government's belief of trusting our citizens," Modi said in a tweet.
Finance Minister Piyush Goyal said while this move will lead to withdrawal of a substantial amount of cases, but will affect only a fraction of the total value of the disputed amount.
He said that as per estimates, there were tax disputes worth Rs 7.6 lakh crore pending in various appeal tribunals, high courts and the Supreme Court till March 2017.
"Out of this, 66 per cent of cases amount to only 1.8 per cent value of the total litigation value of Rs 7.6 lakh crore," Goyal told reporters here.
"Often it has been found that the cost of litigation is greater than the recovery amount... So to minimise litigation, the government has taken this decision," he added.
In case of income tax, out of total cases filed by the department in Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), 34 per cent of cases will be withdrawn. In case of High Courts, 48 per cent of cases will be withdrawn and in case of Supreme Court, 54 per cent of cases will be withdrawn.
"Withdrawing 41 per cent of pending appeals would affect only 0.82 per cent of the total litigation amount," he said.
Similarly, in case of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), out of total cases filed by the department in Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT), 16 per cent of cases will be withdrawn.
In case of High Courts, 22 per cent of cases will be withdrawn and in case of Supreme Court, 21 per cent of cases will be withdrawn.
"And withdrawing 18 per cent of indirect tax related appeals will affect only 1.45 per cent of the litigation amount. Altogether, only Rs 6,000 crore will be forgone by substantially reducing the number of pending litigation," he said.
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13 lakh litres of 'Rail Neer' supplied to train passengers daily: Government
New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.
Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.
"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.
"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country
"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.
"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.
Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.
"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.
"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.
