Why a taxpayers' charter is a non-starter

Last week, the government announced a taxpayers’ charter, which lists the rights of assessees under the Income-Tax (I-T) Act. The charter is a bunch of promises, full of homily-like vision statements such as: Provide prompt, courteous, and professional assistance; treat taxpayers as honest; provide a mechanism for appeal; provide complete and accurate information; provide timely decisions; collect the correct amount of tax; respect the privacy of the taxpayer; follow due the process of law and be no more intrusive than necessary; hold various authorities accountable; provide a complaint system, etc. How does all this square with the reality on the