“We have fully complied with all requirements put forth by the I-T department in its notices to the Central Fund of Archdiocese of Goa and Daman (CFAGD) and Financial Reorganisation of the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman (FRAGD). Since they requested us to send details by email, we complied with their request and within the extended deadline on Monday,” said Diocesan Financial Administrator Fr Valerian Vaz, while speaking to The Goan.
It was an unprecedented exercise for the Archdiocese of Goa and Daman as records from over 200 churches, chapels and institutions were compiled in record time to be submitted to the Income Tax department on Monday, in response to two I-T notices served on church authorities.
Asked to submit the required details by November 21, the same day it received the two notices, the Archdiocese was given only a week's extension to furnish details on cash books and cash in hand from all churches and institutions. The Archdiocese took up the challenge and completed the huge exercise within six days.
“We conducted two urgent meetings for church personnel in North and South Goa, instructing them on which details were requested in the format prescribed by the I-T department,” he said.
Fr Vaz acknowledged the services of all those who had assisted the Archdiocese in the mammoth task in gathering, compiling and submitting the details to the I-T department.
“We sincerely appreciate our priests, lay people, staff and volunteers who worked overtime and went out of their way to enter and compile all the data, before sending these details to the Archbishop's House in record time. We were in constant touch with all our churches, chapels and institutions in this regard,” said Fr Vaz.
“We also appreciate the selfless services of office staff of the Diocesan treasure department, our volunteers and a Chartered Accountant, who also worked very hard to ensure that all these details were prepared and submitted within the deadline,” he added.
