Govt extends deadline for filing Income Tax Returns to ease 'panic situation'

The Indian government on Monday extended the deadline for filing Income Tax Returns (ITRs) and linking Aadhaar with the Permanent Account Number (PAN) of taxpayers.

ITRs can now be filed by August 5. The Aadhaar-PAN linking can be done till August 31.

The government had initially set July 1 as the deadline to link the two databases for filing of ITRs.

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A senior tax department official said the decision was taken after a meeting of senior officers of the revenue department and CBDT held in the finance ministry today to "ease out the panic situation".

The dates have been extended after receiving complaints from "some taxpayers" that they were unable to log on to the e-filing website of the IT department, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said in a statement.

The CBDT said there were also complaints that the assessees were unable to link Aadhaar with PAN because their names were mentioned differently in the database linked to the two documents.

"For the purpose of e-filing returns, it would be sufficient as of now to quote Aadhaar or acknowledgement number for having applied for Aadhaar in the e-filing website.

"The actual linking of PAN with Aadhaar can be done subsequently, but any time before August 31, 2017," the CBDT said.

The IT department's policy-making body cautioned, however, that the returns (ITRs) will not be processed "until the linkage of Aadhaar with PAN is done."

"In order to facilitate the e-filing of return, it is also decided to give extension of five days for e-filing of return. The return can be filed upto August 5," it said.

The income tax department said yesterday that no extension would be given since already over Rs 2 crore returns have been received and no major glitches on the e-filing portal (https://incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/) had been detected.

"While technical snags have been removed already, the main reason for failure of people to log into the e-filing portal is because of last minute rush and panic in which those who have already logged in want to continue for the entire period for fear of losing it," it said.

The department has also asked taxpayers to declare cash deposits made of Rs 2 lakh or more made in bank accounts, after demonetisation on November 9 till December 30 last year, in the ITRs.

The ITRs to be filed by July 31 pertain to 2016-17 fiscal or assessment year 2017-18.