304 Programs across India to Familiarise Taxpayers with New IT Act
After nearly six decades under the Income Tax Act, 1961, India is moving towards a new tax framework with the Income Tax Act, 2025, which will come into effect from FY 2026–27. The transition is expected to bring changes in tax provisions, rules and compliance requirements, while also presenting new challenges for taxpayers and businesses.
To help industry stakeholders understand these changes, an interactive session on “New Income Tax Act, 2025 and Rules – Understanding the Nuances and the Transitional Challenges” held in Bengaluru on September 7, 2026. The session brought together experts from the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), senior Income Tax Department officials and leading tax professionals to discuss the key provisions of the new Act, its implications and the challenges involved in the transition.
"The Income Tax Department has conducted 304 outreach programmes since April 2026 across the country in English, Hindi and regional languages to familiarise taxpayers, professionals and other stakeholders with the Income Tax Act, 2025, Income Tax Rules, 2026 and the redesigned tax forms," says Pallavi Agarwal, IRS, Hon’ble Member, Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
“Tax law becomes genuinely simple when the taxpayer can understand what the law requires, the professional can advise with confidence and the administration can apply it consistently. The Income Tax Act, 2025 seeks to deliver this through a streamlined and modern tax framework that reduces the compliance burden, brings greater clarity and certainty and makes tax administration more citizen-centric and technology-driven,” said Ms. Pallavi Agarwal.
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Delivering the keynote address, Vidisha Kalra, IRS, Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Karnataka and Goa Region, said the new tax framework was aimed at combining continuity and certainty in policy with greater simplicity and clarity.
“A fair, predictable and transparent tax system is the foundation of a confident business community. A tax law that is simple, transparent and understandable is itself an instrument of empowerment. When taxpayers understand what is expected of them, compliance becomes an act of participation rather than a burden,” she said.
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Speaking at the Conference, CA K. Ravi, President, BCIC, said, “BCIC’s 50th year reaffirms our commitment to strengthening industry and building meaningful industry-government partnerships. The new Income Tax Act is an important reform that can simplify compliance, reduce litigation and improve ease of doing business. Through this conference, we aim to help industry understand the new framework while creating a constructive platform for engagement with tax authorities.”
Vidisha says, “ Technology-driven, faceless and seamless systems had significantly enhanced transparency and reduced subjective discretion, while the emphasis on non-intrusive tax administration was helping foster voluntary compliance.”
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“Karnataka’s growing contribution to direct tax collections, noting that the State had emerged as the second-largest direct tax contributor after Mumbai, with net tax collections already close to ₹1.25 lakh crore. She attributed the performance to strong economic activity, greater self-compliance, sectoral outreach, digital initiatives and improved guidance from tax professionals and industry bodies,” adds Vidisha.