Nirmala Sitharaman urges tax officers to end bureaucratic hurdles for taxpayers

Nirmala Sitharaman told Income Tax officers not to make entitled citizens chase routine services. She used the department's own delays and Mumbai land issues to press for faster, cleaner administration.Calls for faster project approvals and better coordination with CPWD. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday urged Income Tax officials to ensure that taxpayers and ordinary citizens are not forced to 'run from pillar to post' for services they are entitled to, saying even officers from the department had firsthand experience of bureaucratic delays while building their own office in Mumbai.Addressing officials after inaugurating the 13-storey 'Aaykar Sindhu' office building at Nariman Point, Sitharaman said the department's struggle to secure multiple approvals should help officials understand the challenges faced by common citizens when dealing with government offices.EVEN TAX OFFICIALS FACED BUREAUCRATIC HURDLESUsing the construction of the new Income Tax office as an example, Sitharaman said officials had themselves experienced the delays and procedural hurdles that citizens often complain about."Can this incentivise you to understand the position of a common citizen when he approaches you? Don't make them run from pillar to post where your authority is required; do the work for them," she told the officers. She clarified that she was not asking officials to bypass rules or extend undue favours. Instead, she stressed that people should not have to struggle for services or benefits that they are legally entitled to receive.CALLS OUT 'LAIDBACK' FUNCTIONINGThe finance minister also criticised what she described as the "laidback" functioning of some government departments, saying such an approach not only inconveniences citizens but also leads to poor management of public assets. Referring to the land on which the new office has been built, Sitharaman noted that the Income Tax Department had owned the Nariman Point plot since 1973. However, illegal encroachments had developed over the years because authorities failed to protect the property."The fact that you let it have illegal occupation shows somewhere in our governance we are too laid back. It is somebody's job to take care of our assets, and when it is encroached, we say we have the land but we can't build it," she said.PUSH FOR FASTER PROJECT EXECUTIONSitharaman also addressed concerns raised by officials over the shortage of government accommodation in Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, noting that nearly half the department's employees do not have access to official housing and are forced to undertake long commutes.She assured officials that she would facilitate government-to-government transfer of land wherever necessary, while urging the department to quickly complete pending approvals, coordinate with the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) and expedite tendering and contract processes so that new office and housing projects are not delayed further.The finance minister also referred to land owned by state-run telecom company BSNL and said she would take up the matter with the concerned ministry to help transfer it for departmental use.Concluding her address, Sitharaman reminded Income Tax officials that integrity should remain the guiding principle of tax administration."Integrity is the one and only principle I will advocate to each one of you," she said, urging officers to combine efficiency with honesty while serving taxpayers.- EndsPublished On: Jul 27, 2026 10:44 IST