As the date for filing the Income Tax Returns draws closer, netizens found it difficult to fill in the details on the government-run IT portal.
The portal is reportedly glitching, which has prompted Twitter users to come up with the hashtag “Extend_Due_Date_Immediately”, which is currently trending on the social website.
Chintan Dave an Infosys employee took to Twitter to express his displeasure over the same, “Thank you @Infosys and @IncomeTaxIndia for such a wonderful portal, new errors and new glitches every day. #Extend_Due_Date_Immediately” read the tweet.
Similarly, other users too vented out against the government portal. A chartered accountant by the name AK Mittal said, “I really feel the problem with the Govt in Extending Due dates is not with Infosys but the pain in admitting it’s own mistake. !! The Govt has a long legacy of not accepting and admitting it’s own mistake. I mean how can the Govt be wrong #Extend_Due_Date_Immediately”
Another Twitter user urged the government to extend the deadline to file the IT returns so that people could file their returns with eases, “Dear @IncomeTaxIndia The sooner you extend dates, The more we can relax. As we, all Professionals, are working tirelessly since weeks Please #Extend_Due_Date_Immediately for ITR and TAR” read the tweet.
Chartered Accountant Rakesh Batra pointed out that OTP verification was also a challenge for the website, “Even OPT Verification is a challenge on this new portal #Extend_Due_Date_Immediately #Extend_Due_Dates”
The due date for filing of the Income Tax Return (ITR) for the financial year 2020-2021 i.e. assessment year 2021-2022 for the general category of all taxpayers, whose account are not audited and which covers all salaried is usually July 31 every year but has been extended till December 31, 2021, as of now. People who fail to file the IT returns within the stipulated deadline would be fined Rs 5,000.
The extension has been a result of the glitches on the government portal and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Given below is a list of documents required to file the IT returns
Form 16: Form 16 is an important document issued by an employer to their employee as an acknowledgment that tax has been deducted from the employee’s salary and deposited with the income tax department. The document also contains the details of the salary paid to the employee.
Interest income certificates: The interest income certificate provides details regarding the amount of interest you have received in a financial year for your fixed deposits (FDs) and saving accounts. It can be downloaded through net banking at the end of the financial year.
Investment proofs for tax saving: Investment proofs consist of the receipt for premium paid towards life insurance schemes, receipt of medical insurance, the receipt for investment in Public Provident Fund (PPF), 5-year FD receipts, mutual funds investment (ELSS) etc. It can be submitted directly to the I-T department for claiming tax deductions.
Form 26AS: It is an annual consolidated statement, Form 26AS is an important document that contains all tax-related information of the taxpayer including TDS (tax deduction at source), advance tax, etc. The document can simply be downloaded from the new I-T portal.
Apart from these documents, an individual will also need their salary slips, PAN card, and Aadhaar card while filing the income tax returns.