Your CA is a Guide, Not Your Alarm Clock

 

Who is Responsible for Your Taxes – You or Your CA?

Does your doctor call you every evening to remind you to take your medicines?

Does your child’s teacher call the night before an exam to say, “Remember, tomorrow is the paper”?

Does your lawyer call to remind you of a court date?

Does your travel agent call you every year to say, “It’s time for a holiday”?

Or does your stockbroker call you daily to check prices and book profits on your behalf?

The answer is obvious: No. Because in all these cases, the responsibility is yours - the patient, the parent, the litigant, the traveller, the investor.

And yet, when it comes to something as important as Income Tax Returns, GST filings, or TDS compliance, the expectation suddenly shifts. Many taxpayers assume their Chartered Accountant will not only prepare and guide, but also chase and remind them at every step.

Here’s the reality:

A CA is a facilitator, not a babysitter.
Their job is to guide, compute, and file - based on the data you provide.
Reminders are a courtesy, not a transfer of responsibility.

Think of your CA like a navigator. They map the route, warn you of roadblocks, and highlight deadlines. But the steering wheel is still in your hands. If you delay giving data or miss a turn, the delay is yours - not the navigator’s.

Tax calendars are no secret. Due dates for ITR, GST, and TDS are published well in advance. They are like flight timings - you don’t expect the airline CEO to call you personally to say, “Board the plane.” You set your alarm and get there on time.

The most efficient taxpayers follow the same approach. They keep documents ready, mark deadlines in their own calendars, and treat CA reminders as a backup, not the main trigger.

When responsibility is confused with facilitation, things go wrong:

Data is handed over late

Compliance is rushed.

Errors creep in.

Penalties follow.

And if such slip-ups are frequent, it usually means one thing - the taxpayer is not really prioritising compliance, or doesn’t consider it as important as it actually is.

A little discipline avoids a lot of stress.

So the next time your CA’s office sends a reminder, don’t see it as a wake-up call. See it for what it is: a professional nudge.

Just as a doctor facilitates health, a lawyer facilitates justice, and a teacher facilitates learning - a CA facilitates compliance. But whether you take the pill, send your child prepared for the exam, catch the flight, or file your return on time - that rests entirely with you.

The content made available in this article is for general informational purposes only. While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and completeness of the content, it should not be considered as a substitute for professional consultation. 

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