Can the RTI deadline be extended?
The last date for filing Income Tax Return (ITR) is July 31. In such a situation, only a few days are left for taxpayers to file it. Many taxpayers want to file their tax returns within the stipulated time, but are struggling with the shortcomings of the e-filing portal. The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) has also mentioned such issues of taxpayers. The ICAI has written to the Income Tax Department regarding the problems it is facing in filing Forms 26AS/TIS/AIS and ITR. The association has also expressed its concern in this regard on social media platform X. In such a situation, the question arises whether the Income Tax Department will extend the deadline for filing ITR, so that taxpayers can get additional time.
According to Chartered Accountant Piyush S Chhajhe, Chairman, Direct Taxes Committee, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI), a letter has been sent to the Income Tax Department regarding the issues related to e-filing portal on July 5, 2024. Due to glitches in the Income Tax e-filing portal, many taxpayers are facing difficulties regarding Form 26AS/AIS/TIS due to which the return filing date is not correct for the taxpayers. Apart from ICAI, many other chartered accountancy colleges have also discussed this matter with the Income Tax and appealed for extension of the deadline for filing ITR.
These flaws were found in the ICAI electronic submission portal
Difficult access to Form 26AS/AIS/TIS
According to ICAI, due to glitches in the Income Tax e-filing portal, many taxpayers faced a lot of difficulties in accessing Form 26AS/AIS. Sometimes there are differences in the data of TIS and AIS, due to which they face difficulties in completing the ITR.
Technical failures in the electronic submission portal
Many taxpayers faced technical glitches on the Income Tax e-filing portal while filing the ITR. Especially due to the ongoing slowdown, taxpayers are taking more time to complete the forms.
Preloaded data does not match
The data already filled in salary, interest income, TDS, etc. as per Income Tax Return and Form 26AS do not match. Due to the difference in data, taxpayers are facing difficulties in filing Income Tax Returns.
Error message arriving at file
Taxpayers complain that every time they try to file returns, error messages start appearing in their system. As a result, the ITR is not filed.
I don’t understand
A One Time Password (OTP) is required for authentication while filing ITR. But when taxpayers click on Get OTP, they do not get the OTP immediately, while many people have not received it even once. Due to this, their returns are not being verified.
Limited response options in AIS/TIS
Currently, the AIS/TIS portal provides a set of options for taxpayers to respond to the information contained in these returns. Many times these options are not sufficient to accurately capture the taxpayer’s situation or response. In such a situation, they should provide this option, which will help taxpayers upload supporting documents to authenticate their responses.
Late update of responses in TIS
According to ICAI, many taxpayers have reported that even after updating their responses in MS 115, the relevant changes are not reflected immediately. Their responses are updated late, due to which they face problems in filing the form.
