On behalf of the ITAT Bar Association, Mumbai, Advocate Shri Hiro Rai, President of the Association and Dr. K. Shivaram, Sr Advocate, participated in the discussion.

President Shri Hiro Rai made various valuable suggestions for better implementation of the Scheme.

Justice P.P. Bhatt emphasized the need of stakeholders’ participation in
the Alternative Dispute Resolution Mechanism and explained the keen interest being evinced by the Central Government to create a dispute-free tax collection system.

He stated that as an institution specialising in adjudication of tax disputes, ITAT expected all the stakeholders to consider availing the Scheme which was intended to reduce the pending litigation, enable timely recovery of taxes by the Government and sparing the taxpayers’ time, resources and energy from litigation.

He urged the stakeholders, more particularly, the tax practitioners to take the task further in a mission mode, so that the system that is choked with the avoidable litigation could be relieved for concentrating on more meritorious issues, which have a bearing on the tax policies affecting the taxpayers on a large scale.

He observed that the success of the technical session lies in carrying home the message by the representatives of the Bar Associations for further discussion with the members in their respective Associations and in carrying forward the objectives of the scheme to its logical conclusion.

Mr. P.C. Mody, Chairman, CBDT, explained the objective behind the scheme and the role of the stakeholders in making it a grand success. He explained to the audience that the Government as well as the Board have undertaken a massive exercise of considering the suggestions from every corner, for proposing suitable amendments to the Act and also clarifying the doubts by way of answers to the frequently asked questions.

He said that no scheme could be conceived with all the perfections, so also could be this scheme, and therefore, he assured that the Government and the Board are open for suggestions and comments from every stakeholder for better implementation of the scheme in its letter and spirit.