The Union Finance Minister reiterates fair, efficient, transparent and taxpayer-centric administration

Nirmala Sitharaman participated in the 167^th anniversary of Income Tax Day celebrations by Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in New Delhi yesterday.

Shri Arvind Srivastava, Secretary, D/o Revenue; Shri Ravi Agrawal, Chairman, CBDT; Shri Vivek Chaturvedi, Chairman, CBIC: Members of CBDT and CBIC and other senior officers and officials of the Department were present on the occasion.

Addressing the 167th Income Tax Day celebrations, Union Finance Minister Smt. Sitharaman emphasised that the role of the Income Tax Department has evolved from tax collection to building a fair, efficient, transparent and taxpayer-centric tax administration. She described the implementation of the Income-tax Act, 2025 as a landmark reform that has simplified the law, reduced compliance costs and strengthened ease of doing business. She also highlighted the enhanced capacity of the e-Filing portal, improved return processing, prompt refunds and significant progress in grievance redressal, while stressing that the Department must move beyond disposal of grievances to analysing recurring issues and preventing them through systemic improvements. She outlined the 5Rs of Responsive Tax Governance - Recognise, Respond, Redress, Reflect and Reform, as guiding principles for taxpayer service, emphasising that honest taxpayers should experience convenience, opportunities to correct bona fide errors and a tax administration that exercises its authority with humility. Stressing that taxpayers are partners in India's development, she called for a continued focus on reducing litigation by strengthening tax certainty.

FM Smt. Sitharaman also underlined the importance of strengthening institutional capacity through modern infrastructure, technology and continuous investment in human capital. She appreciated the progress made in upgrading offices and welfare facilities and called for greater capacity building in emerging areas such as artificial intelligence, data analytics, forensic accounting, international taxation, transfer pricing, digital assets, cybersecurity and leadership development. She urged the Department to deepen voluntary compliance, further simplify the taxpayer experience, strengthen tax certainty, harness technology responsibly, build institutional excellence, reinforce public trust and embrace continuous improvement. Congratulating the officers and staff of the Income Tax Department on the occasion of the 167th Income Tax Day, she expressed confidence that the Department would continue to play a pivotal role in promoting ease of doing business, strengthening taxpayer confidence and supporting India's economic growth.