No harassment of IT assessees under CASS: FM

New Delhi, Dec 5: Finance Minister P Chidambaram today said atotal of 1,51,876 cases of Income Tax returns had been taken up forconsideration under the Computer Assisted Scrutiny Systems (CASS)during the current fiscal year.

Replying to supplementaries during Question Hour in the RajyaSabha, he said certain categories of income returns are picked forscrutiny under the CASS but altogether they amounted to less than 2 percent of total returns filed.

He said the Central Board of Direct Taxes had issued instructionsto the I-T authorities on selection of cases for scrutiny on the basisof information received through Annual Information Return (AIR).

However, some assessees had objected to this scrutiny, terming it harassment and even moved the court.

But, the procedures followed were ''strictly in accordance withassessment of scrutiny'' by the Income-Tax officers. Those who hadmoved court had found their case dismissed.

Denying information of any case of harassment of income-taxpayees, the Minister said unless such case was specified he was unableto say whether the action taken was ''arbitrary or justified.'' On thematter of Goa, where uniform civil code was prevailing, Mr Chidambaramsaid efforts were on to reconcile the civil code with the Income-TaxAct to club the incomes of husband and wife together and removeexisting aberrations.

On the issue of levy of profession tax of state rural healthcaresector, he said the matter fell under the purview of state governments.Clarifying that the matter was up to the state government andlegislature to decide, he added ''it is not in my power to direct stategovernments.''

UNI