The income tax department has finally woken up to the problems occurring in the online system that was developed for the registered companies for filing returns. The department is starting help centers for efiling across the country on Saturday.
According to senior income tax (I-T) authorities, the system is going to be started in 78 centers all over India on the same day. In Mumbai the center would be started in the Aaykar Bhavan, the head office at Marine Lines.
The online system for all registered Indian companies was made compulsory this year. There are over five lakh such companies. Chartered Accountants (CAs) undertaking the job of filing returns for such companies had been complaining about the system not working and crashing frequently. CAs had complained that they were able to file only two to three returns a day as against 15 or more when it was done manually.
However, the I-T authorities failed to pay any attention to the complaints as a result of which only about 5,000 companies could file returns till the last week of October. The last date for filing returns (for the companies) was October 31 and the I-T authorities had to extend the date till November 30 because of this problem.
A senior I-T officer, requesting anonymity, told HT that officers from across the country have gone to Delhi to attend a training programme at the Directorate of Income Tax Systems. “From Mumbai about four officers have gone there,” he said. The officers would be returning to their respective centers on Friday.
{{/usCountry}}A senior I-T officer, requesting anonymity, told HT that officers from across the country have gone to Delhi to attend a training programme at the Directorate of Income Tax Systems. “From Mumbai about four officers have gone there,” he said. The officers would be returning to their respective centers on Friday.
{{/usCountry}}The officer said that the help centre would provide all assistance related to the technical problems occurring in the efiling system. “There are many complains like the system doesn’t upload and shows error at many stages of filing returns. All these would be addressed at the centre,” the officer said adding that the centre would work on holidays too.
He further said that till now such complaints were sent to Delhi, in the Directorate of Income Tax Systems, which then used to send solutions. “But now help would be available in all the 78 centres,” the officer said.
When asked, the officer refused that the centres would file returns for the companies. “If we start that then everybody will bring their returns here,” the officer said.
Email: manish.pachouly@hindustantimes.com