I-T dept to set up special counters to enable taxpayers to file their returns

The income tax (I-T) department will set up special counters from Thursday to enable salaried taxpayers to file their returns on paper for income up to Rs  5 lakh while those with taxable income above Rs 5 lakh will not be able to avail of this facility as it is mandatory for them to e-file their returns.

According to an official statement, the special counters will be set up at Pratayakshar Bhawan, Civic Centre, Minto Road, in the Capital between July 25 and July 31 instead of Pragati Maidan and Mayur Bhavan as was done in the past.

"Returns of income above Rs  5 lakh have to be e-filed online mandatorily; these will not be received at any of these special counters. Only paper return of income upto Rs 5 lakhs can be filed at these counters," the statement said.

Other facilities like helpdesk, tax return preparers (TRPs), UTI/NSDL counters, bank, tax payment facility and PAN facilita-tion counter will also be available at the Civic Centre. The counters will be closed on Saturday and Sunday.

According to the official statement, this year, the facility for online filing of returns has been made user-friendly with the advantage of pre-filled return forms. These e-filed forms also get electronically processed at the central processing centre in a speedy manner.

The authorities are encouraging taxpay-ers to file their returns electronically as e-filing is considered an easy, fast and secure method of filing of income tax returns. "Digital signature is not mandatory for these taxpayers and they can transmit the data in the return electronically by downloading ITRs, or by online filing and thereafter submit the verification of the return in Form ITR-V acknowledge-ment after signature to Central Processing Centre. The processing for e-filed returns is also faster,'' the official statement added.

A senior official said e-filing will also ensure a quicker refund for those who have ended up paying higher taxes than what was due from them since the processing is much faster compared to the returns filed on paper.

Courtesy: Mail Today