New Delhi: It is true that complex tax laws, rules and regulations can overwhelm the best of the minds. In such a situation it has always been a challenge for tax officials to spread tax literacy among ordinary taxpayers. So what is the solution? Catch them young as is often done by marketing experts. Precisely this is the strategy adopted by the officials of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
Officials from India’s apex direct taxation body, the CBDT, which administers personal income tax and corporation tax, have moved away from the text-based literature, awareness seminars and workshops to spread tax literacy among children and teenagers. Tax officers have adopted a novel approach to spread tax literacy through 'learn by play' methods. They have come up with the products to introduce concepts related to taxation, often perceived to be complicated, to high school students through board games, puzzles and comics.
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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman launched a series of communication and outreach products aimed at spreading financial and tax awareness at a programme organized in Panaji, Goa on Saturday evening to mark the 75th year of India’s independence. Sitharaman termed the next 25 years as 'Amrit Kaal', and said youth would play a major role in shaping the "new India". On this occasion, she distributed the first sets of the games to select school students present at the event.
Taxation-related games, comics and puzzles
Snakes, Ladders and Taxes: This board game introduces good and bad habits in respect of tax events and financial transactions. According to officials, this game is simple, intuitive and educational in nature with good habits being rewarded through ladders and bad habits penalized by snakes.
Building India Game: Officials said this collaborative game introduces the concept of the importance of paying taxes through the use of 50 memory cards based on infrastructure and social projects. The game aims to convey the message that taxation is collaborative in nature and not competitive.
3D Puzzle India Gate: This game consists of 30 pieces, each of which contains information about various terms and concepts related to taxation. When the pieces are connected together, they will build a 3-dimensional structure of India Gate conveying the message that how the government uses the tax for the country’s development.
Digital Comic Books: The Income Tax Department has collaborated with Lot Pot comics to spread awareness about concepts of income and taxation among children and young adults. The messages are given by the immensely popular cartoon characters of Motu-Patlu, through their bone-tickling dialogues that will interest the target audience and help them understand the concept of taxation.
Officials said these products will be initially distributed to schools through the network of Income Tax offices spread across India. The government is also working to distribute these games through bookstores spread across the country.
