The income tax department will establish over 60 facilitation centres - Aaykar Seva Kendras(ASKs) - this fiscal from Goalpara in Assam to Neemuch in MP as part of efforts to widen the taxpayer base and reach a maximum number of people who need help in doing business with the taxman.

The ASKs help a person in conducting their personal and business operation with the department ranging from obtaining a new Permanent Account Number (PAN) to filing Income Tax Returns (ITRs) apart from other income tax related subjects.

As per a blueprint prepared in this regard, the Central Board of Direct Taxes has authorised creation of 65 such ASKs at locations like Goalpara and Morigaon (Assam), Siliguri and Haldia (West Bengal), Dharmapuri (Tamil Nadu), Haridwar and Rishikesh (Uttarakhand), Hardoi and Lakhimpur Kheri (Uttar Pradesh), Dahod and Porbandar (Gujarat), Neemuch and Mandsaur (Madhya Pradesh), Jajpur and Puri (Odisha) and Rewari and Sonepat in Haryana.

"These are few of the prominent places where the ASKs are planned to be created within 2016-17 financial year that ends on March 31 next year. There are many more cities in one state where an ASK will come up. This is a priority project for the CBDT and the Income Tax department," a senior official said.

The effort is to reach more and more people so that they can get their PAN made, understand taxation issues and also those under the tax bracket do not have to travel far to get their issues resolved, he added.

CBDT has also asked the field offices of the department to constitute local teams under the range heads for speedy creation of these centres.

Government is doing right thing. Fear of IT department should be removed from tax payer''s mind. Honest tax payers are also harassed by taxmen instead of finding people who spend huge amounts but don''t file tax return.

A typical ASK is headed by a I-T department officer and has all public facilities under one roof for hassle-free operations for a taxpayer.

A number of ASKs are currently operational in prominent cities and towns in the country. #casansaar (PTI - Times of India)