(The New Indian Express)
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has asked the tax department to timely process tax refunds and proactively resolve taxpayers grievances. She has asked tax officers to especially monitor these areas, and adopt a taxpayer-centric approach to improve service delivery and transparency.
The finance minister was chairing the conclave of Principal Chief Commissioners of Income-tax (PrCCsIT) in New Delhi on Monday.
During the conclave, the FM directed all Principal Chief Commissioners of Income Tax to prioritise and accelerate the disposal of disputed tax demands that are currently pending before the faceless appellate authorities. This is aimed at reducing litigation backlog and ensuring timely resolution, thereby enhancing taxpayer trust in the system.
The Finance Minister also instructed that all departmental appeals falling below the revised monetary thresholds as notified in recent policy changes be identified and withdrawn within a period of three months.
Sitharaman urged the officers to ensure that tax compliance processes are made simpler, more transparent, and taxpayer-friendly. She highlighted the importance of a structured, process-driven approach to compliance, which, over time, would lead to both greater ease for taxpayers and improved voluntary compliance across the board.
During the meeting, the finance minister was that there has been a 58% growth in refunds issued so far in FY26 vis-à-vis refunds issued in the previous year — Rs 23,376 crore refunds issued on account of Order Giving Effects and Rs 10,496 CR refunds issued on rectification so far in FY26
She was also told that out of the total 160,229 grievances for FY26, 1,31,844 grievances were resolved (up to 17 June 2025), leading to 82.28% disposal. The meeting was also attended by Arvind Shrivastava, Secretary, Department of Revenue, Ravi Agarwal, chairman CBDT; members of CBDT and senior officers of CBDT.
