Ensure transparency in tax collection, CM YS Jagan to officials

Vijayawada: Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy directed the officials to pay special attention towards introducing state-of-the-art technology in policy implementation in revenue generating departments to improve efficiency and render improvised services in full transparency to the taxpayers.

At a review meeting on revenue generating departments held here on Friday, the Chief Minister said modern technology would help reduce human involvement in the implementation of policies and asked the officials to conduct a study on using technology and submit a detailed report in the next review.

Implementation of appropriate policies would help plug leakages and extend improvised services to the taxpayers besides enhancing the revenue, he said and directed them to pay special attention towards the subject. All departments should improve their functioning by the next review, he said.

He stressed the need to display prominently the contact phone numbers of responsible officials at all mandal, town planning, Stamps and Registrations offices and village and ward secretariats for extending all civic services to the people in transparency. The ACB (Anti-Corruption Bureau) officials also should be active promptly responding to complaints from the taxpayers, he suggested.

The Chief Minister also asked the officials to take special steps to curb the use and distribution of drugs among the youth by displaying awareness hoardings with toll-free numbers at universities and colleges. Special programmes including mock-drills for preventing drug abuse should be implemented at least twice in a month, he told the officials.

Explaining that the State is better placed than Karnataka and Maharashtra in tax collection showing a growth of 25.29 per cent, officials told the Chief Minister that it has achieved the target up to 93.24 per cent by collecting total taxes of Rs 51,481 crore in the last fiscal and a target of Rs 60,191 crore has been fixed for 2023-24.

They said targets were being reached by efficient use of data analytics and introducing automation through excellent coordination between various revenue generating departments while keeping an eye on tax evaders.

The revenue earned by the Stamps and Registrations Department has gone up to Rs 8,071 crore in 2022-23 from Rs 4,725 crore in 2018-19, they said, adding that the Mines and Geology Department has earned revenue of Rs 4,756 crore exceeding the target of Rs 4,500 crore in 2022-23 and recording a growth of 26 per cent compared to last fiscal.

Officials of the Transport Department told the Chief Minister that they have achieved revenue of Rs 4,294.12 crore reaching the target up to 95.42 per cent in 2022-23 while the target for the present fiscal is Rs 6,999.42 crore.

Deputy Chief Minister K Narayana Swamy, Energy and Forest Minister P Ramachandra Reddy, Revenue Minister D Prasada Rao, Special Chief Secretaries Dr Rajat Bhargava (Excise, Registration and Stamps), Neerabh Kumar Prasad (Environment, Forest, Science & Technology), Principal Secretaries Gopalakrishna Dwivedi (Mines and Geology), Syamala Rao (Higher Education), Harish Kumar Gupta (Home), Transport Secretary Pradyumna, Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF) Y Madhusudhana Reddy, Commercial Taxes Secretary Guljar, Transport Commissioner M K Sinha, Municipal Administration Commissioner Koteswara Rao, Stamps and Registrations Commissioner Ramakrishna, Sales Tax Commissioner Abhishitk Kishore, Additional DGs N Sanjay, Ravishankar Ayyannar, AP Beverages Corporation MD Vasudeva Reddy, Mines Director VG Venkata Reddy and other officials were present.