CBIC invites Suggestions on Faceless E-Assessment

The Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) issued a notice inviting the suggestions, views, comments, etc. from the stakeholders for the purpose of Faceless e-Assessment. For the purpose of facilitation of the matters, the members were requested to give suggestions, views, comments, etc. on the concept of paper before March 3, 2020, on the website namely dircus@nic.in and uscus.dor@gov.in.

Further, the general public and the trade at large were also informed through this notice that the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) is planning to launch Faceless e-Assessment pertaining to the imported goods.

The concept of Faceless e-Assessment is a step towards modernizing the custom administration, with the objective of reducing the burden of compliance for the EXIM community and further to increase the transparency, efficiency, development, and maintenance of the functional specialization, enhance the quality of assessment practices and various other efficiencies.

Faceless e-Assessment is introduced by the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) in order to:

1. As the name suggests the assessment will be faceless, so this anonymity in the assessment will remove the physical interface between the assessing officer and the importer or broker.
2. It further ensures the uniform applicability of the laws, throughout the nation.
3. Yet another objective is the promotion of a sector-specific approach and functional specialization.
4. In order to improve the workload balance amongst various field formations for the facilitation of the formation for efficient utilization of the resources.

Faceless e-Assessment will further work in the following areas for the improvement of:

1. Alter the existing structure of commissioner,
2. The idea of restructuring the commissionerates in the future,
3. Specified functions of NACs and JPCs,
4. Proposed NACs,
5. Specifies the procedure for Assessment of Bill of Entry by FAGs,
6. Speaking orders
7. Appellate proceedings,
8. Review proceedings,
9. Exchange of communication exclusively by using the electronic mode and authentication of electronic records,
10. Board is empowered to specify the format, mode, procedure and process.