Jharkhand: Pay commercial tax online

Manoj Tantia, one such businessman, says since December 30,1980, he has been paying commercial taxes, and with great difficulty due to several problems.

‘‘We had to go to the state treasury, fill up the form, deposit money in the bank, take a receipt, return to the department and submit photcopies to get recorded as a bonafide taxpayer. There were long queues and unfriendly staff,’’ says Tantia.

Jharkhand Chamber of Commerce and Industries’ President Girish Malhotra, whose business interests transcend boundaries of the state capital, says, ‘‘Leave alone the dusty files, even records were destroyed when cuts and commissions were not paid to the staff.’’ The computerisation of the department has changed the mode of compliance, collection and payment of the commercial taxes.

The taxpayer will be allotted a ‘TIN’ number. Using it he can pay tax online sitting in his own office. Tantia says the cost involved was nil. Moreover, he can pay tax online from any district of the state and check the status of his account any time.

A database on taxpayers and taxes paid is being linked with the district treasury to ensure smooth flow of work and to eliminate delays, said the state Secretary (Department) Alka Tiwary.

‘‘Our programme is menu-driven and user-friendly and maintains integrity of the data with shared access.’’

The e-governance plan envisages establishing a statewide information and communication network called ‘JharNet’ to provide a voice and high-band data width connectivity among all offices of the state government from its headquarters down to the panchayat level by 2007.

The e-governance plan was launched in 2003. Since then, Jharkhand’s department of Information Technology had been at work with the result that the state today boasts of executing a dozen-odd IT projects. Several departments have been brought under the plan.