The Income Tax Department wants to talk to your kids

Don't be surprised if your kids turn around one day and ask you whether you have paid your income tax. In an effort to catch them young, the income tax department will be visiting your kids in school to tell them why taxes should be paid.

As per the Central Action Plan chalked out by the Income tax department for 2016-17, talks by income tax officials in schools as well as visits of students, in batches, to income tax offices have been planned. As per the Plan, young tax officers are to be deputed to visit schools and talk to the children in morning assemblies or otherwise. The officials would be using power point presentations and historical stories to show how the concept of taxation is a very old one and also how/why it is relevant even today.

The officers should emphasize how a rupee gained/collected by way of taxes is utilized towards development of the country leading to nation building, says the Plan. The officers have been asked to discuss the importance of taxation and menace of black money/parallel economy.

Indicating the seriousness with which this endeavour is being planned, the document even specifies the periodicity of such talks: 1 visit per quarter per Principal Commissioner of Income Tax charge.

That's not all. Visits of students, in batches of 20 to 25, to income tax offices are also to be organised. The student age group targeted for this purpose is 16-18 years. Again the periodicity of such visits has been fixed.

Further, if you thought that these visits would be limited to government schools think again. The Plan clearly says that the income tax department should target different kinds of schools for this awareness campaign including public schools and convents. Commissioners of Income Tax are to select schools falling within their territorial jurisdiction to avoid overlap.

The Plan leaves no stone unturned to ensure that the campaign succeeds. The department has been instructed that frequency of visits can be increased considering the local requirements so that sizeable number of schools in each city are covered in this initiative. The aim of the campaign is to ensure that schools are selected such that students from all strata of are covered.

This Central Action Plan was discussed at the Annual Conference of Senior Tax Administrators of Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in June this year in Delhi.

Over the last few years the tax department has become more pro-active in its communication efforts. Several special efforts are being made to increase awareness about the recently opened Voluntary Income Disclosure Scheme 2016.