In 2016, the Income Tax department started issuing a certificate of appreciation to honest taxpayers.
The certificate is issued to taxpayers who have cleared their entire liability, have no outstanding tax liabilities and had filed their returns electronically in the prescribed time.
The certificate is divided into six categories depending upon tax paid by a person.
A majority of those who received the certificates were in the bronze category, “contributing” between Rs 1 lakh and 10 lakh. Those who have paid Rs 10-50 lakh have been put in the silver category, while a contribution of Rs 50 lakh to Rs 1 crore was categorised in the gold club. The top segment, which has only a few persons, is platinum with tax payments of Rs 1 crore or more.
