The Hindu Business Line : Chidambaram unveils iCERT digital signature project

THE Union Finance Minister, Mr P. Chidamabaram, on Monday launched the iCERT project by becoming the first recipient of the digital signature certificate from the Directorate General of Systems in the Customs and Central Excise Department, which has now become a certifying authority.

Under the iCERT project, digital signature certificates would be provided to the trading community, officers of the Central Board of Excise and Customs and the agencies directly concerned with e-governance in tax administration to render revenue transactions and related transactions over Internet secure.

It would also ensure that importers, exporters, Central excise and service tax assessees or their agents, who have obtained the certificate, have the facility of electronically filling not only statutory returns but also any type of communication i.e., requests, grievances, refund claims, adjudication documents, payment advice to banks etc over the Internet without any risk to security, an official release said.

The users of this facility need not come to the Customs or Central Excise offices but interact over the Internet with competent authorities without any risk of impersonation. The electronic transactions would be authenticated by the digital certificates and would be legally valid and could be used as evidence under Indian law. The Information Technology Act, 2000 provides legal recognition to the electronic records as well as to the process of authentication of electronic records by affixing digital signatures. The iCERT Certifying Authority would be issuing CLASS 3 digital signature certificates that carry the highest assurance levels necessary for authenticating financial transactions involving crores of rupees of Government revenue.

This initiative of the Customs and Central Excise Department will have a vital implication in bringing better tax compliance levels within the country. By using digital signature certificates provided by the iCERT, the trading community can drastically reduce their compliance cost as well as the compliance time in carrying out their taxation responsibilities.

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