Vanaja N Sarna, former Chairman, Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) felicitated with Most Powerful Women in Business award by a leading business Magazine for her leadership in successful implementation of the historic tax reform, Goods and Services Tax (GST).
Vanaja N Sarna had been appointed as the Chairman of the Central Board of Excise and Customs, after the retirement of Najib Shah on March 31, 2017, just ahead of the scheduled rollout of the goods and services tax or GST.
On the very next day, Sarna took over as chairperson of the CBIC, three months before the July 1 deadline for GST.
In early 2017, Sarna started attending the GST Council meetings even before the Government deciding the next chairman.
For a revenue service officer who in the early part of her career went on raids at night and spied on tax evaders alone, a successful GST rollout would have been the best way to sign off a career spanning over 35 years.
The present CBIC Chairman S. Ramesh congratulated his predecessor for the achievement. “I am happy to share that this award has been bestowed upon my predecessor and ex-Chairman CBIC Ms. Vanaja N. Sarna, for the year 2018, recognizing her leadership in successfully overseeing the biggest tax reform since independence in the form of Goods and Services Tax. I congratulate her on behalf of the entire CBIC family,” he said.
