SRINAGAR: The Income Tax and Central GST Departments will be conducting outreach programmes, titled ‘Mulaqaat’ with all the stakeholders of the J&K in all the 10 districts of Kashmir, namely Shopian, Kulgam, Pulwama, Bandipora, Ganderbal, Anantnag, Srinagar, Budgam, Baramulla & Kupwara, and 2 Districts of UT of Ladakh, namely, Leh and Kargil, from 1st December 2021 to 7th December 2021.Similar outreach programmes are also being organised in the Jammu Region.
It may be recalled that on 22nd November 2021 at SKICC Srinagar, while addressing the participants in ‘Samvad – An interaction with the Tax administrators and Stakeholders of J&K’, the Union Finance Minister Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman had directed that the Income Tax and Central GST authorities should jointly visit all the districts of J&K to carry out an outreach programme and hold interactive sessions with various stakeholders including small and medium businessmen , young professionals , start-ups and youth.
The purpose of this outreach programme and interactive sessions is to understand the difficulties being faced by the public in respect of Direct and Indirect Taxes and to assist them in solving the problems along with motivating the youth to pay taxes. The aim is also to find out about the expectations & suggestions of the people from the forthcoming Union Budget and to make the public aware about the technological advancements made by the new taxation regime to increase transparency and ease of compliance and to provide better taxpayers’ service.
It is for the first time that such an exercise is being undertaken by both the Departments jointly to directly connect with the people of J&K and garner their feedback, suggestions and aspirations from the Government of India vis a vis the Income Tax Department & the Central GST Department.

KR Desk