Over 29 lakh tax returns verified by OTP-based ITR filing

Even as the government today extended the due date for filing Income Tax Returns (ITRs), the tax departments ambitious OTP-based ITR filing system has posted impressive numbers as it has till now verified over 29 lakh returns and linked similar number of Aadhaar numbers with the PAN database.

The new e-filing system, enabled last month, allows online verification of a persons Income Tax Returns by using either Aadhaar number, internet banking, ATM or email, thereby ending the practice of sending paper acknowledgement to its office in Bengaluru. An official data shows that by August 31, which was the earlier deadline for filing ITRs, the official portal of the department has electronically verified 29,19,726 ITRs while Aadhaar linkages with the Permanent Account Number (PAN) has been achieved in 29,68,953 cases.

"With the e-filing of ITRs to go on till September 7 now, more numbers are expected to be added. The department wants more and more taxpayers to efile their ITRs as it is convenient and hassle-free for them and also helpful for the officials to process these documents," a senior I-T officer said. According to the rules notified in this regard by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on July 13, any taxpayer, whose income is Rs 5 lakh or below per annum and has no refund claims, he or she can straightaway generate the Electronic Verification Code (EVC) for e-filing and validating their ITR through their registered mobile number and e-mail id with the department.

However, this option will be subjected to certain "restrictions" which will be prepared by the taxman based on the concerned taxpayers "risk criteria and profile" in a case-to-case basis. Once logged in on the banking portal, the taxpayer will be sent EVC to his mobile number provided in the official e-filing web portal of the department which they will put in their ITR for final submission.

The Aadhaar database is also being used by the taxman to verify taxpayers credentials. The I-T department initiated these new technology measures in order to fully automate the e-filing system and also to end taxpayers grievances with regard to their ITR-V not reaching by post, leading to their ITR getting rejected. The government extended the deadline today as taxpayers complained of facing difficulties in filling the Aadhaar based and other forms of electronic verification.