Taxed by DTC

Revenue Secretary Sunil Mitra was bombarded with so many detailed questions on the Direct Taxes Code at a recent seminar that he finally requested that the queries be less technical since this was his first stint in the finance ministry. Mitra was appointed revenue secretary just 26 days before this year’s Budget and he said his knowledge on tax was mainly gathered during those days. Someone from the floor disagreed, saying Mitra probably knew a lot because of a “lifetime of experience”. The revenue secretary’s wry response was, “I know, but as a taxpayer.”