My Dear Professional Colleagues, Seniors and Elders
It is a very sentimental moment for me as I take up the responsibility as President of the Income Tax Bar Association. I understand – to take the charge of highest position of President of our Association, whose members are Tax Advocates, Professional Luminaries and Chartered Accountants – is not a position, but it is a great responsibility, more particularly in the present scenario, where responsibility and accountability of professionals has become a burning issue.
At the outset, I would like to thank my dear colleague Dhruvin Mehta, outgoing president, who has presented his detailed working, statement of educative and informative programs carried out in previous year. I also understand that it has casted responsibility upon me to raise our Association to a greater height.
I would like to thank the esteemed members of the Association for trusting upon me and my team and for assigning this great responsibility. I assure Association that I shall endeavor to fulfill the responsibilities that have been placed on my shoulders.
I hereby extend hearty congratulations to my fellow Office Bearers and Managing Committee Members. We have been casted upon heavy responsibilities for the upcoming year which I am sure we shall collectively fulfill.
As we enter a new year, we face many challenges and opportunities in the field of taxation. The rapid changes in information technology, the complex and dynamic tax laws and regulations, the increasing expectations of our clients and stakeholders, and the growing role of tax professionals in society at large, all demand that we adapt and evolve to meet the needs of the times.
We are already in the digital era. It is the era of digital marketing, era of social media and era of artificial intelligence. It is time to use technology to our benefit and to make our practice / profession more organized and more remunerative. Our motto, this year, would be to improve the “Digital / Technological” side of our practice, our Association and ourselves.
As technology advances at an unprecedented pace, we need to embrace it as a tool to enhance our efficiency and effectiveness as tax professionals. We need to leverage the power of data analytics, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cloud computing, cybersecurity and other emerging technologies to improve our processes and outcomes. We need to innovate and create new solutions that add value to our clients and stakeholders. We need to protect ourselves and our clients from the risks and threats posed by technology.
Post Covid the world has changed technologically. The concept of “Work from Home” is the new normal. It has taught us the concept of online meetings. Seminars and brain trusts are being replaced by Webinars. However the charm and benefit of physical Seminars still remain the same. We wish to have an ideal combination of Webinars, Seminars in the coming year. Tax Conclave, Leadership & Motivational, & Spiritual Lectures shall be an important part of the upcoming year.
As tax professionals, we often face high levels of stress and pressure in our work. We need to take care of ourselves and our well-being, both physically and mentally. We need to balance our professional commitments with our personal lives, our families, and our hobbies
On this occasion, I am also to urge my office bearers, managing committee members and especially all the members to bring in more and more memberships for the association. The strength of the association is its variety of the members. We need support of each member of the association for this to increase our strength.
The celebration of “Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav” is going on and will continue till 15th August, 2023. Events, programs in almost all sectors are being carried out to celebrate this Mahotsav throughout the nation with great energy and zeal. We as Income Tax Bar Association cannot be alien to this. We intend to conduct specified event in this Amrit Kaal – one such event dedicated to our freedom fighters, because of whom, we could get this freedom.
Honorable Sadhguru has said “Leadership means inclusiveness and reaching out, not dominance and power”. I will follow this in the coming year.
CA Ashish Tekwani
President
Income Tax Bar Association