Queing before Income Tax Department officials will soon become a practice of the past. The department is making an elaborate plan to equip its offices throughout the country with Aaykar Seva Kendras (ASKs) which will work as a single-window facility for taxpayers for filing applications for services and redressal of grievances including paper returns. A senior department official told Business Standard that the number of ASKs would be increased from current 11 to 727 throughout the country.
“It will completely change the way the Income Tax Department is perceived,” he added.
The official said the taxpayer would not have to go to the assessing officers, adding they would have to just go to the ASK in their respective areas and submit their service request or grievances.
“The taxpayer will get an acknowledgment receipt and their problems would be sorted out within a given time-frame. They will also be able to track the status of I-T response online or through mobile services in due course,” said the official. The integrated call centre facility would also be set up for checking the status of applications filed at the ASKs across the country.
The official added that the facility would also help those filing bulk returns, as they would be provided software utility and then would be able to file the returns conveniently. The service is part of the promises made by the I-T department in the Citizens’ Charter 2010.
The unique acknowledgment number is issued against each application to facilitate monitoring of status during the life cycle of an application/return. ASK would be the front office of the I-T Department, supported by the intranet of the department, with standardised design and a brand identity of its own, guided by the philosophy of “Sevottam” (excellence in service delivery). The facility was started initially at Pune, Kochi and Chandigarh on a pilot basis with the intention of making them operational at all the I-T Department offices in a phased manner during the strategic plan period 2011-15.
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The quality policy of the department contained in its Service Quality Manual 2010 promises that ASK will be made compliant to IS: 15700:2005 — the only standards for excellence in public service delivery for public service organisations.
The I-T Department official said the department wanted to make ASK its flagship project for excellence in taxpayer service delivery, which would be done through scientific record management.
The department also plans to develop a mechanism for taking feedback from the taxpayers and conduct periodic surveys with the help of independent agencies to measure taxpayer satisfaction.