Palampur Taxation Bar Association requests for restoration of IT office

PALAMPUR:The Taxation Bar Association Palampur, has urged the Union Finance Minister P. Chidambram for the immediate restoration of office of Commissioner of Income tax Appeals, which was abolished by the Income tax Department in the year 2006, arbitrarily without assigning any specific reason.

An emergency meeting of the Bar Association was held here today, which was also attended by the members of Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Una, Hamirpur,Nurpur and Chamba Bar Associations . A joint resolution to this effect was passed, in which it was stated that there was complete justification of office of CIT(A) at Palampur as there was adequate work load. Association said the office of CIT(A) was functional here till 2006, this office was covering the Income –tax appellate work of eight districts of the state which included Kangra, Mandi, Una Hamirpur, Chamba, Kulu, Bilaspur and Lauhal Spiti. Since after the closing of the office of CIT (A) here the jurisdiction of all appellate cases of all the eight district of state falling in north had been attached with CIT (A) at Solan, which was not only far away from these places but also very inconvenient for tax payers and their counsels to contest their cases at Solan.

Briefing media persons Mr. Romesh Sood, President of the Ba Association said that northern region of the state comprising these eight district contribute over sixty percent of the revenue of the tax to state exchequer and still the tax payers from this region were not getting justice. He said after the closing of this office the small tax payers were the worst hit.

He said CIT(A) Solan already had a heavy work load, additional work load of these eight districts had also been given and it was not possible for the officer to hold camps and visit time and again. He said today two hundred and fifty appeals from northern region of the state were pending. For the disposal of these appeal cases, department should restore the CIT(A) office at Palampur without any further delay.

Mr. Sood also urged Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal to take up the issue with the Finance Minister and help the tax payers who had been made rolling stones by the Income tax department for the past two years. Despite the fact there was justification of the office of CIT(A) here ,the matter was hanging fire because of official bottlenecks. A copy of the resolution was also sent to Chief Minister PK Dhumal, Chairman CBDT New Delhi and Chief Commissioner of Income-tax (Admn) Chandigarh.

Ravinder Sood

A senior journalist from Palampur.