Finance Minister Directs Massive Withdrawal of Low-Value Tax Appeals; Tax Disputes Worth Rs. 10 Lakh Crore Under Review

The Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharam has ordered the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to search and withdraw all departmental tax appeals that fall under the updated monetary limits declared in the Union Budget 2024-25. For performing this compliance, a three-month due date has been scheduled.

This move is aimed towards reducing the tax burden on taxpayers and turning the overall tax administration system stronger. During the 166th Income Tax Day celebration held on July 24, 2025, the Finance Minister, addressing the senior tax officials, says, “Good policies alone are not enough; what matters is timely execution.”

The monetary limits for departmental appeals were increased under Budget 2024-25: for the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT), the limit is from Rs. 50 lakh to Rs. 2 crore; for High Courts, from Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 5 crore and for Supreme Court from Rs. 2 crore to 5 crore.

This amendment has already resulted in the withdrawal of 4,605 appeals. In 3,120 cases, appeals were not submitted due to falling under revised limits. These updated limits have permitted courts to be more focused towards high-value disputes, matching the goals of the government for faster outcomes of legal actions.

From a total of 5.77 lakh tax appeals, more than 2.25 lakh appeals have been selected for resolution in the financial year 2025-26. These cases together involve tax disputes worth more than Rs. 10 lakh crore. The finance minister asked the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to review the performance of each region, clear pending tax disputes quickly, and study why so many cases are stuck so that long-term solutions can be planned.

She also praised the CBDT for its work in rewriting the Income Tax Bill. Around 60,000 hours of work have gone into making the law simpler and more modern. The length of the bill has been reduced from 5 lakh words to nearly half, without losing its legal strength. She called this effort “spectacular.”

The minister highlighted the need to build trust between the government and taxpayers. She said, “Let’s reaffirm that contract. Let’s earn the trust of the taxpayers,”  and called for better services and active communication to make the system more taxpayer-friendly.

This new government direction shows its commitment to improving tax administration, reducing the backlog of disputes, and building taxpayer confidence through reforms and timely actions.