VP addresses 77th Batch of Indian Revenue Service (IRS) Officer Trainees

The Vice-President of India, Shri Jagdeep Dhankhar urged the IRS fraternity to be in an “overdrive mission mode to promote the spirit of economic nationalism in the country”. Underlining that avoidable imports were a heavy drain on India’s foreign exchange while also impacting employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, he stressed that ‘Vocal for Local’ and love for Swadeshi were the need of the hour, and must be accorded priority.

Addressing Officer Trainees of the 77^th Batch of the Indian Revenue Service in the Parliament House Complex today, the Vice-President said that with a population of 1.4 billion, our tax collection potential remains largely untapped and emphasised the need for increasing the number of taxpayers, not through coercion, but through counselling and support.

Shri Dhankhar 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. Appreciating the fact that tax payers no longer dreaded the tax administrators, he termed it a ‘paradigm shift’, and stated that the relationship between the two today “is one of being in concert, togetherness, and consensual stance”.

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

Shri P. C. Mody, Secretary General, Rajya Sabha; Shri Sunil Kumar Gupta, Secretary to the Vice-President of India; Shri Nitin Gupta, Chairman, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT); Shri Simanchala Dash, Principal Director General (Training), CBDT; Shri Anand Baiwar, Director General, National Academy of Direct Taxes (NADT), IRS officer trainees of 77^th batch and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.