Biometric cards may be issued by October: Chidambaram

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All new PAN cards will be biometric cards and they could be issued as early as October. Here's a low down on the tax department 's high tech initiatives to get you.

 

CNBC-TV18's fake PAN card story won the Ram Nath Goenka Award. But if the Tax Department has issued biometric cards in the first place, that story would not have happened. Of course, the Indian propensity for  dodginess and the forensic skills of our reporters would have yielded them some other award winning story.

 

But that aside, biometic cards are the next big thing for the tax department.

 

P Chidambaram , Finance Minister said, "No date has been fixed. We will start issuing once de-duplication is complete. It could be as early as October."

 

So far of 13 lakh duplicate PAN cards, about eleven lakhs have been pulled out of circulation. But the government has no intention of replacing the valid ones.  

 

"Existing cards will be valid but will encourage them to convert," Chidambaram said.

 

The Chief Commissioners have been given a stretch direct tax collection target for this year which is 16% more than that of last year. To achieve this, apart from the usual tried and tested methods, the tax department is falling upon technology to ferret out likely tax evaders from the information provided through the annual information returns.

 

Said Chidambaram, "We have a pilot integrated tax profiling system. It gives a 360 degrees view with excellent result. Now operational in Delhi, it will be extended to all the directorate generals."

 

At last count there were 319 lakh assessees and 275 lakh returns. That is a lot of paper and a lot of information. The toothcomb of technology, might not yield an award winning story, but if it fills up the public purse, that is good enough for us.