The Union Cabinet today approved the proposal for setting up of the Tax Administration Reform Commission (TARC).

The Commission will consist of a Chairman, two full time members and four part-time members, of which at least two part-time members will be from the private sector. The Chairman will be an eminent person having wide experience of tax administration and policy making. Full-time members of the Commission will be one member each with a background in revenue service pertaining to Income Tax and Central Excise and Customs respectively. The term of the Commission will be 18 months.

The Commission will review the application of tax policies and tax laws in India in the context of global best practices and recommend measures to strengthen the capacity of the tax system in India that would reflect best global practices. The Commission will help in removing ambiguity in application of tax policy and tax laws, thereby establishing a stable tax regime and a non-adversarial tax administration. The Commission will facilitate an efficient tax administrative system that would enhance the tax base as well as tax payer base.

Background :

In his Budget Speech 2013-14 in Parliament on 28.02.2013, the Finance Minister had announced :-

"An emerging economy must have a tax system that reflects best global practices. I propose to set up a Tax Administration Reform Commission to review the application of tax policies and tax laws and submit periodic reports that can be implemented to strengthen the capacity of our tax system."

Tax administration reform to establish a commission reviewing tax laws and recommending measures aligned with global best practices. The Union Cabinet approved a Tax Administration Reform Commission comprising a Chairman, two full time members and four part time members (including private sector representation), with full time members from income tax and central excise and customs backgrounds and a term of eighteen months. The Commission will review application of tax policies and laws against global best practices and recommend measures to remove ambiguity in policy application, establish a stable, non adversarial tax regime, improve administrative efficiency, and expand the tax and taxpayer base.