I-T Department launches Faceless Income Tax Appeals system
Sep 25, 2020
New Delhi [India], September 25 : The Income Tax Department on Friday launched Faceless Income Tax Appeals, under which all appeals will be finalised under the faceless ecosystem with an exception of appeals relating to serious frauds, major tax evasion, sensitive and search matters, International tax and Black Money Act.
According to the Ministry of Finance, the necessary gazette notification has also been issued today.
While launching the Faceless Assessment and Taxpayers' Charter as part of "Transparent Taxation - Honoring the Honest" platform, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 13, had announced the launching of Faceless Appeals on September 25 on the birth anniversary of Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhayay.
The ministry informed that the Income Tax Department has carried out several reforms in Direct Taxes for the simplification of tax processes and for ease of compliance for the taxpayers in recent years.
"Under the Faceless Appeals, from now on, in income tax appeals, everything from e-allocation of appeal, e-communication of notice/ questionnaire, e-verification/e-enquiry to e-hearing and finally e-communication of the appellate order, the entire process of appeals will be online, dispensing with the need for any physical interface between the appellant and the department," said the ministry in a statement.
Under the new system, there will be no physical interface between the taxpayers or their counsels and the Income Tax Department.
The taxpayers can make submissions from the comfort of their home and save their time and resources.
The Faceless Appeals system will include allocation of cases through Data Analytics and AI under the dynamic jurisdiction with central issuance of notices, which would be having Document Identification Number (DIN).
As part of dynamic jurisdiction, the draft appellate order will be prepared in one city and will be reviewed in some other city resulting in an objective, fair and just order, read the release.
The Faceless Appeal will provide not only great convenience to the taxpayers but will also ensure just and fair appeal orders and minimise any further litigation, it said.
The new system will also be instrumental in imparting greater efficiency, transparency and accountability in the functioning of the Income Tax Department.
As per data with CBDT, as on date, there is a pendency of almost 4.6 lakh appeals at the level of the Commissioner (Appeals) in the Department.
According to the ministry, out of this, about 4.05 lakh appeals, that is, about 88 per cent of the total appeals will be handled under the Faceless Appeal mechanism and almost 85 per cent of the present strength of Commissioners (Appeals) shall be utilised for disposing off the cases under the Faceless Appeal mechanism.
