CBEC Notifies Service Tax Return Preparer Scheme
Salient Features of the Scheme are:-
Some definitions:
"Partner Organisation" means an organisation or agency selected by the Board and with whom an agreement has been entered into by the Board or the Resource Centre authorising it to act as Partner Organisation under this Scheme;
"Resource Centre" means the Directorate General of Service Tax or any other Directorate, as the case may be, designated by the Board to act as the Resource Centre under this Scheme;
"Service Tax Return Preparer" means any individual who has been issued a Service Tax Return Preparer Certificate and a unique identification number by the Partner Organisation to carry on the profession of preparing the returns of income in accordance with the provisions of said Scheme.
Who is eligible to be a Return Preparer?
A person who has successfully completed education upto senior secondary level, under the age of 35. No age limit for retired CBEC officers.
What will he do?
The Service Tax Return Preparer shall prepare and furnish the return to the Superintendent of Central Excise having jurisdiction over the assessee, or to such other person as may be directed by the Resource Centre with the approval of the Board and hand over the acknowledgement of having furnished the return to the concerned eligible person.
Fee:
An assessee shall pay a fee as may be mutually agreed upon between an assessee and the Service Tax Return Preparer. The Board recommends, as a yardstick, a fee of one thousand rupees per return prepared by the Service Tax Return Preparer.
Bad Copy and Paste from Income Tax:
The whole scheme is a casual copy and paste from the Income Tax Return Preparer Scheme, 2006. Nothing wrong – only they should have been a little more careful and substituted Income Tax with S ervice Tax.
The definition of Service Tax Return Preparer is “any individual who has been issued a Service Tax Return Preparer Certificate and a unique identification number by the Partner Organisation to carry on the profession of preparing the returns of income in accordance with the provisions of said Scheme”
As per para 11(v) of the Scheme, the Certificated may be cancelled “ (v) if he makes repeated mistakes relating to computation of income in the returns prepared by him”
Unless the above mistakes are corrected, there cannot be a Service Tax Preparer Scheme. Amen.
Notification No. Dated: 3rd February, 2009