Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday asked the tax authorities to observe a “bit of restraint” and not to “overreach” while collecting tax.

Sitharaman was speaking to reporters in Pune after meeting the officials of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes, the customs and income tax departments and trade associations.

“Businesses create jobs, create wealth for the country and, therefore, it is important for tax administrators to facilitate them while doing their job of tax collection and enforcing the tax rules,” she said.

“We have decided after consultation with all authorities that the deadlines for the targets are not impossible... they are achievable, realistic and my request to the tax collectors was not to overreach, not to overstate in the collection process,” she said.

On the RBI surplus being transferred, Sitharaman said the government has not yet decided how to use the Rs 1.76 lakh crore being transferred to the Centre.