Journal Press India®

VISION: Journal of Indian Taxation
Vol 12 , Issue 1 , January - June 2025 | Pages: 87-103 | Research Paper

Tax Amnesty and Policy Innovation: Assessing the Case of Vivad Se Vishwas Scheme in India

Author Details ( * ) denotes Corresponding author

1. * Supreet Oberoi, Assistant Professor, Management, Ramachandran International Institute of Management, pune, Maharashtra, India (oberois44@gmail.com)
2. Navita Roy, Assistant Professor, Management, Jaipur National University, Jaipur, Rajasthan, India (navitaroy27@gmail.com)
3. Prasad Vijay Bhat, Research Scholar , Management, Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), Pune, Pune, Maharashtra, India (prasadvbhat@gmail.com)
4. Bhagyahri Sahebrao Patil, Assistant Professor, management, School of Business, Indira University, Pune, Maharashtra, India (bhagyashrip29@gmail.com)

This paper examines India’s Vivad Se Vishwas (VSV) scheme as an innovative approach to tax dispute resolution, analysing its design, implementation, and outcomes via quantitative analysis of government data and qualitative assessment of policies. The study investigates how blending elements of tax amnesties with judicial dispute resolution addresses the persistent challenge of tax litigation in developing economies. By comparing the scheme’s two iterations (2020 and 2024) and benchmarking against international counterparts, the research highlights India’s distinctive approach to reducing case backlogs while ensuring revenue recovery. The analysis reveals critical insights about the scheme’s operational framework, including its tiered settlement structure, while identifying implementation challenges that emerged during execution. The paper contributes to broader theoretical discussions about policy innovation in tax administration, particularly the balance between immediate dispute resolution and long-term systemic reforms. These findings offer valuable lessons for policymakers designing similar interventions in jurisdictions facing comparable tax litigation burdens.

Keywords

Tax amnesty; Dispute resolution; Vivad Se Vishwas; Tax policy

  1. Alm, J. (2021). What motivates tax compliance? Journal of Economic Surveys, 35(5), 1250–1276. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1111/joes.12432
  2. Alm, J. (2022). Designing amnesties for tax transition economies. International Tax and Public Finance, 29(4), 891-917.
  3. Andreoni, J., Erard, B. & Feinstein, J. (2024). Targeted tax amnesties in the crypto era. NBER Working Paper 32107.
  4. Athota, S. (2023). Insights into the low success rate of the Indian income tax department in litigation: A grounded theory approach. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.26686/wgtn. 23598837
  5. Baer, K. & Le Borgne, (2020). Tax amnesties. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.in/ books?hl=en&lr=&id=xrYaEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PR5&ots=-r106iFiyJ&sig=T6J0l w_tEesef8k3qDkQaKSo5nk&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
  6. Bergman, M. & Sarmiento, L. (2022). The paradox of frequent tax amnesties: Evidence from Latin America. World Development, 159, 105984. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2022.105984
  7. Brockmeyer, A. & Phillips, D. (2023). Tax equity around the world: A discussion. Fiscal Studies, 44(3), 237–241. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-5890.12342
  8. CAG Report 2022. (2022). Union Government. Retrieved from https://cag.gov.in/uploads/ media/Report-No-15-of-2022-Compliance-Audit-064cb722e3f23a6-03508861.pdf
  9. Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). (2020). Circular No. 07/2020: Vivad Se Vishwas Scheme, 2020. Government of India.
  10. Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). (2021). Annual report 2020-21. Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
  11. Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). (2023). Advance pricing agreements: Five-year review. Ministry of Finance, Government of India.
  12. Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT). (2024). Notification No. 12/2024: Direct Tax Vivad Se Vishwas Scheme, 2024. Government of India.
  13. Chaudhry, A., Kaul, R. & Sanyal, P. (2022). Procedural fairness in tax disputes: Experimental evidence from India. Journal of Behavioral Public Economics, 5(2), 45-67.
  14. Das, N. (2024, September 26). Vivad Se Vishwas direct tax Scheme: New window to settle pending tax demands & litigations opens on October. The Economic Times. Retrieved from https://m.economictimes.com/wealth/tax/vivad-se-vishwas-direct-tax-scheme-new-window-to-settle-pending-tax-demands-litigations-opens-on-october-1-2024/articleshow /113514573.cms
  15. Dharmapala, D. (2020). Tax dispute resolution and the Indian economy. NIPFP Working Paper No. 312.
  16. ENS Economic Bureau. (2018, January 30). Economic survey: Despite success rate under 30 per cent, tax dept largest litigant. The Indian Express. Retrieved from https://indianexpress.com/article/business/business-others/economic-survey-2017-18-tax-department-largest-litigant-in-india-success-rate-under-30-per-cent-5044151/
  17. Finance Act 2021. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://gstcouncil.gov.in/sites/default/files/2024-04/finance_act_2021.pdf
  18. Garg, S. (2023). Digital tax administration and dispute resolution: India’s faceless assessment experiment. NIPFP Working Paper 378.
  19. Garg, S. & Agarwal, P. (2021). Evaluating the efficacy of the Vivad Se Vishwas Scheme in reducing tax litigation. Indian Journal of Public Finance, 67(3), 45-62. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1178/ijf.2021.045
  20. Govt garners over Rs 54,000 crore by settling tax disputes through “Vivad Se Vishwas” scheme. (2021, April 7). Swarajya. Retrieved from https://swarajyamag.com/insta/govt-garners-over-rs-54000-crore-by-settling-tax-disputes-through-vivad-se-vishwas-scheme
  21. Goyal, A. & Singh, R. (2022). Anatomy of tax disputes in India: A case-level analysis. Indian Economic Review, 57(2), 189-213.
  22. Hallsworth, M. (2022). Behavioral insights and tax amnesty design. Nature Human Behaviour, 6(3), 312-325.
  23. ITAT Annual Report. (2022). Retrieved from https://dea.gov.in/budgetdivision/annual-reports
  24. ITAT Annual Report. (2023). Retrieved from https://dea.gov.in/budgetdivision/annual-reports
  25. Jain, R. & Mehra, S. (2021). Tax dispute resolution in India: A critical analysis of the Vivad Se Vishwas Scheme. Economic and Political Weekly, 56(22), 33-40.
  26. Kopczuk, W. (2023). Digital tax administration and amnesty effectiveness. Journal of Public Economics, 217, 104789.
  27. Kumar, A. & Sharma, V. (2023). Impact of tax litigation on foreign direct investment in emerging economies. Journal of International Taxation, 34(5), 78-92. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1017/jit.2023.005
  28. Luttmer, E. & Singhal, M. (2014). Tax morale. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 28(4), 149–168.
  29. Martani, D., Rahmah, N. A., Fitriany, F. & Anggraita, V. (2021). Impact of audit tenure and audit rotation on the audit quality: Big 4 vs non big 4. Cogent Economics & Finance, 9(1). Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2021.1901395
  30. Ministry of Finance. (2020). Budget 2020-21: Speech and key highlights. Government of India.
  31. Ministry of Finance. (2023). Economic survey 2022-23. Government of India.
  32. Ministry of Finance. (2024). Budget 2024-25: Key policy announcements. Government of India.
  33. Mishra, A. & Dhall, S. (2024). Transfer pricing disputes in India: Trends and resolution mechanisms. International Transfer Pricing Journal, 31(1), 12-28.
  34. Mukherjee, S. & Rao, M. (2022). Legislative clarity and tax disputes: Evidence from Indian tax reforms. Law and Economics Review, 14(3), 401-422.
  35. National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (NIPFP). (2023). Capacity constraints in tax dispute resolution. NIPFP Policy Brief No. 47.
  36. National Institute of Public Finance and Policy (2023). Direct taxes litigation management and alternate dispute resolution. In NIPFP Working Paper Series (No. 394). Retrieved from https://www.nipfp.org.in/media/medialibrary/2023/04/WP__394_2023.pdf
  37. OECD. (2022). Tax amnesties: Design and performance. OECD Publishing.
  38. OECD. (2023). Tax administration 3.0: The future of compliance. OECD Publishing.
  39. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2021). Dispute resolution mechanisms in tax administration: A comparative study. OECD Publishing.
  40. Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). (2022). Tax dispute resolution: Global best practices. OECD Publishing.
  41. PDICAI. (2024). Revised compounding guidelines 2024. Retrieved from https://fipi.org.in /Upload/11_Nov_24_Presentation.pdf?utm_source=chatgpt.com
  42. Rao, M. & Gupta, N. (2021). The nature of tax disputes in India: An empirical study. Indian Tax Review, 14(2), 89-112.
  43. Sari, D. & Martani (2021). Indonesia’s tax amnesty: Short-term gains and long-term impacts. Journal of Development Economics, 153, 102736.
  44. Sen, A. & Gupta, P. (2023). Tax disputes and foreign investment: Panel evidence from India. Journal of International Business Studies, 54(4), 678-701.
  45. Sikka, P. & Narayanan, V. (2022). Evaluating the impact of tax dispute resolution schemes. Public Finance Review, 50(3), 456-481.
  46. Slemrod, J. (2023). Tax compliance in a digital world. Journal of Economic Literature, 61(1), 3–42.
  47. The Income Tax Department. (2023). Taxpayers’ charter. Retrieved from https://www.incometax.gov.in/iec/foportal/sites/default/files/2024-04/taxpayer-charter-english.pdf
  48. Verma, S. & Joshi, A. (2022). Consistency in tax adjudication: Evidence from Indian tribunals. Journal of Tax Administration, 8(2), 134-156.
Abstract Views: 3
PDF Views: 1

By continuing to use this website, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with our Cookie Policy.