SRINAGAR: The Income Tax department has taken a strong note over tax evasion in J&K and has decided to take strict measures to collect income tax from the defaulters.
Official sources told KNS that in J&K, less than one percent population has been paying income tax to the department. They said although there are around 13 lakh PAN card holders but only one lakh are paying the income tax.
There are thousands of people for whom it is mandatory to pay the income tax but these income tax defaulters are paying no heed despite directives from the department, an official of Income Tax department said.
He said these defaulters have been hiding their income returns to evade from paying the income tax. Sources said the department also took note over not achieving their target for the past few years. They said the J&K is having highest percentage of tax defaulters in the country who owe crores of tax to the government and authorities had failed to take any measures in this regard.
It has now been decided that all those people for whom it is mandatory to pay the income tax will now been included in the list of income tax payers, the official said.
In other states, the names of defaulters are being published in newspapers so that these people would be compelled to pay the tax. It is also aimed so that the common man can come forward to help the department in knowing the whereabouts of these defaulters. The step is to enhance public awareness against these entities who are acting against law.
We are also mulling to initiate similar steps in the state to achieve the target, the official said.
It has been learnt that there are also hundreds of defaulters who have stopped filing the Income Tax returns and department has asked them to adhere the mandatory provisions of the Income Tax Act or will be taken action against them.
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