MyVoice is to lift up the voices and experiences

I-T dept deserve kudos!

Kudos to the Income Tax department of India for the visible improvement in its functioning in the recent past! Gone are the days of the department taking months together for processing of the Income Tax Returns (ITRs) filed by the assessees and for issuing of the assessment orders.

The refund amount also, wherever due, is credited direct to the bank accounts of the assessees simultaniously. Communicating the assesses by SMSs and e-mails at every stage is a welcome step because of which the transparency in the functioning of department has increased.

The Centralised Processing Centre (CPC), Bengaluru, deserves all appreciation for reducing the time lag drastically in finalising the assessments.

With the introduction of 'e-filing' and 'e-Proceeding' facility in its website, the department has done away with the personal appearance of the assessees before the authorities thereby avoiding the human intervention, subjective element and the resultant harassment, at times, by the officers to the assesses.

It is a matter of great relief to the assessees to get freedom from visiting the Incme Tax office and is certainly a cause for a smile on their faces.

Thanks to the technology, any assessee, just with the basic computer knowledge, without any assistance of any tax professional, can now, on his own, file the returns on line and respond to the notices also online.

I compliment myself for having filed my ITR for the FY 2018-19 on line by myself and for getting the Assessment Order and refund too even before many of the assessees woke up and filed their returns.

How truly was it said that the early bird catches the worm! As a senior citizen, with restricted mobility, I am glad that I also responded to a notice received from the department and got the matter closed by just sending an e-mail from the comfort of my home without stirring out of my house.

With the latest technology on hand and with the abundant availability of the expert man power in the country there is scope for doing wonders by scaling still new greater heights in the matter of service for the department. I wish them God speed!

Thota Chandrasekhara Reddy, Attapur, Hyderabad

We need to cultivate spiritiuality to save earth

We need to balance our views with a free mind devoid of any inhibitions and prejudices .We need to work out ways and means of protecting our beautiful planet earth.

For this to happen, human consciousness must rise above greed and exploitation. Exploitation has two phases: first when you exploit others, second when you exploit the earth.

This exploitation needs to be checked and for that man must develop a broad vision, a broad understanding of life and of himself in context with cosmos. Our life span is barely 60 -70.years, observe how much we exploit the earth during this time and how much we do to preserve it.

We need to ask ourselves whether we only want to contribute towards its preservation and destroy it mindlessly. Spirituality elevates ones consciousness and checks that greed which leads to environmental degradation; it promotes a sense of caring and commitment for the whole planet.

Processes and objects that are anti-nature and anti-environment are also anti-health, we simply do not know this, nobody would want to do something knowing that it will invite suffering, we need to explore means of healthy lifestyles.

Spirituality eliminate all the negative emotions: if you are devoid of spirituality or ignore it, you cannot become environment conscious. It is almost impossible because somewhere deep within you, your cravings, your aversions and your anger will all directly or indirectly start affecting your own environment.

Spirituality is what cleanses greed, feverishness and small-mindedness in a person: it leads him to honour nature, to honour his own life and to introduce greater joy and celebration in life and surroundings. Hence cultivate spirituality to preserve your personality and to preserve wonderful planet.

Rama Krishna M, Kakinada