E-filing of ITR: Over 7.5 lakh returns verified

The Income Tax department’s ambitious OTP-based ITR filing system for taxpayers has started on a high note with its portal electronically verifying over 7.5 lakh returns and linking over 11 lakh Aadhaar numbers with the PAN database. The new e-filing system, enabled last month, allows online verification of a person’s Income Tax Returns by using either Aadhaar number, internet banking, ATM or email, thereby ending the practice of sending paper acknowledgement to its office in Bengaluru. According to the rules notified in this regard by the Central Board of Direct Taxes on July 13, any taxpayer, whose income is Rs 5 lakh or below per annum and has no refund claims, he or she can straightaway generate the ‘Electronic Verification Code’ for e-filing and validating their ITR through their registered mobile number and e-mail id with the department. The department initiated these new technology measures in order to fully automate the e-filing system and also to end taxpayers’ grievances with regard to their ITR-V not reaching by post, which led to their ITR getting rejected.