Single-window income tax redressal in city soon

Taxpayers will soon be able to have their grievances addressed at a single contact point in the income tax office.

Taxpayers will soon be able to have their grievances addressed at a single contact point in the income tax office.

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Labelled Aayakar Seva Kendra (ASK), the single-window redressal facility will be launched in Mumbai in the next three months, bringing relief to many taxpayers who run from pillar to post to learn the status of their complaints, including those regarding pending refunds.

The service was launched in Navi Mumbai on Monday by finance minister Pranab Mukherjee. Chief commissioner of income tax (Mumbai) PP Srivastava was also present at the inauguration. The Navi Mumbai I-T department falls in the Mumbai circle.

During the inauguration, Srivastava said that another ASK will become operational at the income tax office in Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) soon. Though he did not reveal when it will start, sources in the department said that the service will be launched in the next three months.

Officials said that taxpayers will be able to file paper returns at this single-window contact point and will also be able to track their status — whether the returns have been processed or not, which will help them calculate if they can expect a refund.

“Also, taxpayers who know they are entitled for a refund but are not getting it can file their grievance at this window to learn the status,” a senior I-T official said.

He added that those filing complaints at ASK will be given a “unique acknowledgement number” that will help them in monitoring the status of the grievance. “This is to ensure that the deadlines given for various tax related issues are met,” the official said.

The I-T department had released a citizens’ charter in June last year, which fixes deadlines for various tax-related issues.