Finance Minister to Inaugurate and Address Annual Conference of Chief Commissioners and Directors General of Customs, Central Excise & Service Tax; Main Focus of Conference would be on Challenges in Achieving Revenue Targets set for Indirect Taxes for 2014-15 and Preparation of an Action Plan to Meet those Targets

The Union Finance Minister, Shri Arun Jaitley will deliver the inaugural address at the Annual Conference of the Chief Commissioners and Director Generals of Customs, Central Excise and Service Tax on Monday 11th August, 2014. The two day Annual Conference will be held here at Vigyan Bhawan on 11th and 12th August, 2014.

The main focus of this year’s Conference is on the assessment of the Department’s performance in various spheres during the last financial year, challenges in achieving revenue targets set for Indirect Taxes by the Government of India during the current financial year .i.e. 2014-15, and preparing an action plan for meeting these revenue targets. In this context, the discussions have been planned on various areas of revenue augmentation namely, revenue analysis, scrutiny of returns submitted by assessees, audit, enforcement measures, dispute resolution and recovery of tax arrears among others.

Discussions on emerging challenges and opportunities in indirect tax administration would also form an important part of the two-day Conference. The topics included in this segment are “Leveraging IT for Revenue Augmentation”, “Implementation issues on Cadre Restructuring, Budgeting and Infrastructure”, “National Training Policy 2012: Competency Gaps”, Agreements of Trade Facilitation and “Management of Vigilance cases and Preventive Vigilance” among others.

Shri Saumitra Chaudhuri, former Member, Planning Commission will deliver the 3rd B.N. Banerjee Memorial Lecture while Dr. Prajapati Trivedi, Secretary (PMD), Cabinet Secretariat will deliver a lecture on “Frontiers of New Public management”.

Besides above, there will be discussions on the Recommendations contained in the First Report of Tax Administration Reforms Commission (TARC), GST and GSTN, budgetary changes and policy initiatives among others.

Ms. Nirmala Sitharaman, Minister of State for Finance will deliver the Valedictory Address at the end on the second day i.e. 12th August, 2014. A film on Service Tax will also be released on this occasion.