The Jammu and Kashmir State Tax Department, in collaboration with the District Administration Rajouri, on Wednesday organized a day-long awareness cum interaction programme with the traders of Rajouri-Poonch here at Dakbanglow Rajouri.
The traders, contractors, advocates, tax consultants, accountants and other stakeholders from the twin district participated in the event organised as part of the State Tax Department's efforts to reach out to the stakeholders at the grassroots level to get a first-hand assessment of their issues and in accordance with the month-long initiative of Commissioner State Taxes Dr. Rashmi Singh.
Among the others, Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, Vikas Kundal; Additional Commissioner Adm. & Enforcement, Jammu, Namrita Dogra; DC Enforcement Samba, Sanjay Gupta; DC Headquarters State Taxes, Ashima Sher; Assistant Commissioner Technical, Waseem Raja; Assistant Commissioner Enf. Samba, Aijaz Qaiser and STOs State Taxes Department also attended the interactive session on GST.
Commissioner State taxes, while interacting with the stakeholders, said that the main objective of organising the workshop was to get feedback and suggestions from the grassroots level, and the department would strive to resolve the issues which are in their Official capacity.
"The level of tax awareness is one of the important things that affect the tax calculation process for those charged with paying the tax. Therefore organizing workshops or meetings with the stakeholders is one of the most important tools that can be used to increase tax awareness among the taxpayers because of its effective impact on the recipient," she highlighted.
She said “We are hopeful that with these extensive workshops the department will be able to motivate the remaining three percent to fill taxes on time.” Commissioner State Taxes appealed to the general public/citizens to perform their duty by paying taxes as the Tax collected is used by the government for carrying out various welfare schemes which further contribute to Nation building.
Welcoming the suggestions from Traders unions/Industrial Associations/CAs, the Commissioner of State Taxes, assured to facilitate the stakeholders and their suggestions. She said that the feedback has been jotted down for further improvement and redressal.
Speaking at the event, Vikas Kundal, Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, expressed his gratitude to the Commissioner of State Taxes for hosting a much-needed stakeholders’ meeting/workshop on GST.
He stated that the traders Associations in Rajouri are extending full support to the government and are always willing to assist the administration in times of need. The Deputy Commissioner also spoke at length about the importance of tax collection and informed the traders that the tax amount they file plays a crucial role in the country's development, and encouraged them to file taxes on time.
He continued by stating that the government has taken a number of steps to avoid double taxation and that this workshop is another step forward in that direction. Additional Commissioner State Taxes (Administration & Enforcement) Jammu, Namrita Dogra, while addressing the stakeholders appealed the traders to follow policy decisions & GST implications to increase the tax base.
She also informed the stakeholders about recently established GST facilitation centre that will provide a help-desk & support system to general public by creating an environment conducive to learnings related to GST and recent amendments.
Earlier, Waseem Raja, Assistant Commissioner Technical, gave a PowerPoint presentation to inform the participating contractors and dealers about the GST and the latest revisions. He also informed the audience about the 48th GST Council's recent decisions.
The traders’ bodies and participants from industries expressed gratitude towards the department for organizing such an interactive session & asked for more such interactions & awareness programs in the future.
Later, the Commissioner State Taxes inaugurated the Office of State Tax Officer Enforcement wing Rajouri Poonch Range and also inspected the functioning of State Tax Office and Suvidha Kendra (facilitation centre) Rajouri.