Report No. 231

III. Recommendation

3.1 We strongly are of the view that in order to save the Government huge costs of printing judicial and non-judicial stamps and commission to stamp vendors as also to prevent fraud and avoidable hassles to the public, the Indian Stamp Act 1899 and the Court-fees Act 1870 need suitable amendments to provide for payment of stamp duty on instruments and court-fee on documents to be filed in courts through alternative modes of payment, namely, demand draft, banker's cheque, pay order, money order, postal order, challan, cash. Stamp duty and court-fee amounts should also be in round figures.

3.2 We recommend accordingly.