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PRIME MINISTER REVIEWS PREPAREDNESS TO ROLLOUT GST Courtesy : The Pioneer

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has directed officials to stick to the implementation timeline of GST rollout by April 1. In a review meeting held on Wednesday evening, Modi told the officials to keep the time line of all aspects of GST preparedness, including the aspects of IT, establishment and infrastructure.

The meeting was attended by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and top brass of PMO and Finance Ministry.

“In order to ensure that there is no slippage on date of implementation of GST from 1st April, 2017, the Prime Minister reviewed the progress made on various steps needed for the rollout of GST relating to preparation of Model GST laws and rules to be framed, establishment of IT infrastructure for both Centre and States, training of officers of Central and State Governments and outreach for awareness of trade and industry,” said PMO in a statement.

“The Prime Minister directed that all steps must be completed much before 1st April, 2017. The Prime Minister observed that GST Council would need to have intensive meetings to be able to make timely recommendations relating to its mandate provided in Article 279A including making recommendations relating to Model GST laws, GST rates, goods and services that may be subjected to or exempted from GST,” said PMO.

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During my 37-year-old career with Income Tax department, I moved from place to place, post to post. For me, every posting was a challenge, and at the same time an opportunity to deliver.

After my retirement as Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes, I was invited by various institutions and NGOs to deliver talks on tax matters. While advising taxpayers across sectors, I noticed, our vast salaried class including armed and paramilitary forces, pensioners or senior citizens, NRIs, professionals and small business establishments need the right guidance. Most taxpayers do comply with their tax obligations fully. Yet, they are not somehow relaxed and are burdened with anxieties. A large number of taxpayers are not even aware that getting tax refund on time is a basic right.

In one such meeting, a middle-aged man quizzed me why could not I give tax advice 24X7. For a moment, I had no answer. He then added that I should give tax solutions online so that he does not need to come from a remote place to attend my lecture. I thanked him for his suggestion.

For a while I was restless. Already I had got myself enrolled as a Member of the Bar Council of Delhi and as an Advocate of Delhi High Court Bar Association, thanks to my law degree from the University of Allahabad. Yet, I was not sure how I could help the vast majority of taxpayers who somehow maintain a safe distance from the taxmen. I then tossed the idea of creating a tax think-tank with some of my former colleagues and highly spirited individuals. All of us immediately agreed on one count: millions of Indian taxpayers expect to access tailor-made tax research materials and seek guidance from those who have been parts of the tax machinery for decades.

That is how CTAR was born. So, be a part of our passionate journey to explain tax laws and rules in simpler words. Just drop us a few lines on any query related to direct and indirect tax or FEMA. We are at your assistance. We also look forward to hearing your experiences while dealing with the system.