On August 13, 2020, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a platform called Transparent Taxation, Honoring the Honest. “Faceless assessment and taxpayer charter are applicable starting today,” he said, as reported by Business Insider. He added: “The possibility of familiarity or influence will now be zero.”
Faceless appeals followed in September 2020. The Press Information Bureau stated: “There will be no physical interface between the taxpayers or their counsel/s and the Income Tax Department.”