The new e-filing portal of the Income Tax department is one but the problem is many

New Delhi, August 24, 2021, Tuesday

The e-filing portal was launched by the Income Tax Department last June. It was claimed that the return from the new website would be processed in a short time and the refund process would also be expedited but instead the experience that the old system was good is happening on the new website. Many of those who filed their returns in 2020-21 have not received their refunds even though 11 months have elapsed and not even the status of the refunds is known. People are responding so often it has never happened before. The biggest problem in the new website is the problem of logging in to the e-filing portal to file an incometax return. You also have to wait for the login. Logs out automatically even after logging in. So the hard work done for the return goes into the water. Another problem comes from digital signatures. A digital signature is required to file an income tax return which is not registered. In such circumstances the whole process becomes useless.

Taxpayers have started complaining that the 2AS form (2S form) is often not downloaded on the new e-filing portal. This form contains taxpayer income and TDS (TCS) information from all sources but refund claim is suspended in case it is not downloaded. The government has extended the time limit for tax return or demand but how can an individual taxpayer or a corporate taxpayer who has a tax liability of more than Rs one lakh file the tax. Even if the Incometax portal is not functioning, the tax penalty order is being passed from July. Sometimes it happens that an income tax return is filed but not displayed. If it appears after a long time then it does not download. Therefore, there is confusion as to whether the tax return has been filed or not. The old tax liability demand (tax demand) is paid by the taxpayer but the information cannot be given on the income tax portal. In case tax demand has been paid through certain invoices, the information tab does not open.

The tax expert says the current status of the old tax application is not known. The government did not provide any details of the status or application for payment of dues on the disputed settlement scheme. Executives are concerned about this. It is important to know the status of the certificate. The helpline number (tax helpline number) or mail does not help to resolve the problem for filing a return. A skin shot of any technical defect is requested and then the answer is that we are working on this but the problem is not solved. The finance minister has given an ultimatum to Infosys, the maker of a new e-filing website, on September 15 to rectify the problem. While the date for filing income tax return is till September 30. This has led to an extension of the return filing date. Experts believe that even though it has been 6 months since the launch of the new portal, the problems have not gone away. Taxpayers' time is wasted. If such a problem continued in the new e-portal, then the old portal also needed to continue. Taxpayers believe that the old one needed to be shut down only after the new website was up and running.