IRS is hailed as crusaders against black money which is a potential threat to the nation’s security and national economic development.
It is the time to hail the guardians of India’s revenue! (Photo: India Today/Getty Images)
By Rajiv Tuli: Chanakya, in his acclaimed treatise on state-craft Arthashastra, expounded in the very first chapter the axiom, ‘Kosha Moolo Danda’, which means ‘revenue is the backbone of any nation’. He advises the king to start his day by getting reports on the three most important issues concerning the nation – defense, revenue and expenditures. The basic premise of Chanakya’s taxation doctrine is that the purpose of taxation should be to strengthen the nation-state so as to ensure public welfare, national security and national development. His advice still holds good in the modern nation-state where the importance of revenue through taxes is increasing day by day.
In India, like any other country, the government draws its income from two heads: tax revenue and non-tax revenue. Tax revenue has two components: direct tax which comprises Income Tax and Corporate Tax; and Indirect Taxes which has GST, Customs and other taxes. The Income Tax Department in India collects the direct taxes portion of the tax revenue for the government of India.
This regime of direct taxes is manned by a cadre of Indian Revenue Services (IRS). Most of these are highly technical, professional and tech-savvy cadre. However, the services rendered by the IRS…
