The move has been generally welcomed by Indian tax practitioners and the majority of TPWeek readers said it was a “good first-step” in an online poll.
Comprising government officials and industry heads along with advisory firms and other interested parties, the group will have consultation on emerging issues to understand each others’ viewpoints and also advise the government on legislative amendments and administrative measures that could reduce litigation and increase certainty.
The group will consist of:
· Revenue Secretary to the Government of India, who will act as head of the group;
· The chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes in the Department of Revenue;
· The Director General of Income Taxes;
· Three joint secretaries of the Department of Revenue;
· One representative from of the Confederation of Indian Industry;
· One representative of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry;
· One representative of the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry in India;
· One tax adviser of repute to be nominated by the Revenue Secretary; and
· Any other person that the committee may wish to invite.
The board members now include: Laxman Das, the CBDT chairman; Som Mittal of NASSCOM; P Y Gurav of CII; Dinesh Kanabar of FICCI; Ved Jain of ASSOCHAM; Mahesh P Sarda of ICAI; T P Ostwal of IFA; and Mukesh Butani of ICC.
