I-T officials to be under strict vigilance scanner

The I-T vigilance wing has also decided to conduct surprise inspections to check the process of issuing refunds from both the department and the bankers side.The vigilance wing has found that the issue of refunds is "prone to grievances" from taxpayers and that pro-active measures should be taken by top I-T officials to make the process more transparent.
The I-T vigilance wing has written to all the Chief Commissioners of Income Tax (CCITs) in the country in this regard.

"A number of complaints regarding refunds including those issued under the Refund Banker Scheme have been brought to the notice of the department. Due to various reasons, the refunds do not reach the taxpayer that result into corruption related complaints," a senior I-T officer said.

A huge amount of money, running into few crores is processed by the department as a part of refunds, the official said.

"Timely issue and proper delivery of refunds has been a major source of grievance and complaints leading to cases of punitive vigilance."As predominant task of vigilance is to prevent fault from taking place, Refund Banker Scheme is one such landmark measure in this area which would go in a long way in further reducing the number of public grievances, besides improving quality of service, accountability of employees and consequently, the reputation of the organisation," the vigilance letter said.The department has also decided to deploy surprise inspection and audit teams to check proper delivery of refunds