Reverse gear

Incentives for I-T appeal disposal counter-productive

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has reportedly announced a new scheme aimed at a speedier disposal of tax appeals before the First Appellate Forum (FAF), the platform before cases move on to the Income Tax Appellate Tribunals, the high courts and finally the Supreme Court of India. On the face of it, this is a welcome move. The number of appeals before the FAF has been rising and now total over 320,000. As of March 31 this year, the amount involved is over 55 per cent of estimated collections for the current financial year. No wonder, the FAFs