Institute of Cost Accountants of India(ICAI) will start a short term one year course to prepare trained skilled persons for online tax filings for income tax, service tax and other taxes. It will start offering the course in Kerala next month and eventually inHimachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan, said an official of the body. 

"We will soon launch Advanced Soft skills Acquisition Programme (ASAP) to prepare trained workforce for various online tax filings. There is huge demand for such skills from SME companies and it will make young students employable. The course will include academic learning as well as practical training," said Shrenik Shah, chairman of ICAI, Western India regional council. The council will start the course in February in Kerala and in April, it will offer similar course in UP, HP and Rajasthan. The eligibility for the course would be standard 10th and ICAI believes each state would require some 15,000 such trained persons. 

The institute will organise two-day National Cost Convention from Friday at Ahmadabad, with focus on corporate competitiveness. "Our theme for the convention is "India's cost competitiveness- imperatives for CMAs". Corporate competitiveness is essential for building world class organisation and we always try to bring cost down and make industries enable for sustained growth even during slow-down," he said. 

According to sources, the body is in the process to get around 1 lakh sq feet space in the Gujarat InternationalFinance Tech City (GIFT) to set up a centre for excellence in near future. (Economic Times)