Stressing that ‘vocal for local’ and love for swadeshi are the need of the hour,Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday said a wholesome development is when the taxpayer is assured that his tax payments are being fully and optimally utilised for national development.

Addressing the Officer Trainees of the 77th Batch of the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) in the Parliament House Complex, he called upon them to be in an overdrive mission mode to promote the spirit of economic nationalism in the country.

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Pointing out that avoidable imports were a heavy drain on India’s foreign exchange while also impacting employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, Dhankhar said, “Vocal for local and love for swadeshi are the need of the hour, and must be accorded priority.”

Citing that with a population of 1.4 billion, the tax collection potential remains largely untapped, he stressed on the need for increasing the number of taxpayers, not through coercion, but through counselling and support.

The VP noted that transformative taxation reforms over the past decade have reduced the tax burden and removed distortionary incentives, paving the way for increasing the tax base to further boost growth.

Expressing his appreciation for the three-fold rise in direct tax collection over the past decade, Dhankhar said, “A wholesome development is that now the taxpayer is assured that his tax payments are being fully and optimally utilised for national development.”

The VP also drew attention to recent initiatives in tax services that have boosted confidence of people in tax administration, helped in building trust and enhanced the ease of doing business in the country.

Cautioning that “transgression and overreach of law are potentially ruinous”, he said, “Potential tax payers need to be informed about the advantages of being part of the formal economy, and the travails of not being so.”

He encouraged the Officer Trainees to instil in people a sense that the “surest passage to success is to be tax compliant and law abiding.”

Highlighting the key role of young officers in laying the foundations of Viksit Bharat@2047, Dhankhar said, “You must wear the mantle of this responsibility with pride, and with due integrity.”

The most secure route to being an exemplary officer and citizen was to abstain from taking shortcuts and to uphold rule of law, Dhankhar added.