By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, AUG 06, 2016: REFUND efficiency of the Income Tax Department has undoubtedly gone up sharply in the past few years. It has rather got a fillip after the NDA Government took over the reign of powers at Centre. Reasonably good level of computerisation and automation have taken place in the Department, and some of the IT vendors have also done good job. Notwithstanding all positive signs, the CBDT owes as much as Rs 1.23 lakh crore of refund to the taxpayers.

While replying to a question in the Lok Sabha yesterday, the Minister of State for Finance, Mr Santosh Gangwar, said that as on March 31, 2016, refund claims of more than Rs 10 lakh number about 57783 cases, involving a neat sum of Rs 1.23 lakh crore.

Interestingly, the Minister said that out of 1.23 lakh crore of pending refund, as high as Rs 98,000 Cr is stuck because of scrutiny assessment. Strangely, why should the Department sit over piles of scrutiny when the cases have been picked up based on certain tangible parameters sending alerts to the AOs. When the cases have been selected on the basis of systemic intelligence that there might be some room for additions, why should such assessments be delayed for more than five years?

Secondly, it is learnt that the Department uses FILTERS to identify cases with huge refunds and then they are picked up for scrutiny and such scrutiny is being delayed so that there is no excessive revenue outgo which may upset the apple cart of fiscal deficit management of the Government.

Another interesting aspect which the Government does not seem to be taking a note of is the fact the it bears huge sum of interest on such refund claims. The longer they remain with the Department, the greater would be the interest outgo.

During the course of his reply, the Minister said that some of the claims are pending because of statutory and administrative reasons.

The Minister also said that to provide relief to small taxpayers, the CPC has been authorised to release refund up to Rs 5000/-. Up to August 1, 2016, the Department has cleared 12 lakh cases involving a sum of Rs 245 Crore.