The Income-Tax Department is being considerate while extending the due dates and the dates are being extended regularly depending upon the situations.
The following dates are to be remembered by the taxpayers:
Assessment year 19-20
i. extended date 30.11.2020
Assessment year 20-21
i. Non Audit cases 30.12.2020
ii. Audit cases 31.01.2021
iii. Tax Audit 31.12.2020
The above dates not only confused the taxpayers but a few professionals also found it difficult to make their clients understand how these dates are different.
A few clients have also missed the filing of their income tax return for the AY 19-20 thinking that the dates for the same has been extended to 31.12.2020.
This extension of dates has made the taxpayers so confused that they missed filing their income tax returns although they are regular tax payers and law abiding citizens.
Thereafter comes tax audits and filing of income tax return for the AY 20-21
The confusion is here also, three activities and the different dates to be understood and remembered by the taxpayers are hard.
It is good and thoughtful that our Government is understanding the financial constraints and compulsive medical restrictions on the taxpayers.
When the Government is being so considerate then it should extend the dates for the both assessment years to 31.3.21 and provide a sigh of relief to the willing taxpayers.
The pandemic has already broken the back bones of many and now these compulsive compliances have added pain to their living.
Who else will attend to the prayers of the taxpayers (who are willing to pay their taxes but the financial crises due to pandemic is stopping them to ignore the compliance dates not their intentions), if not their own Government.
Requesting to re think the extension of compliance/filing dates of Income tax returns and provide further extension!
Advocate Sargun Babuta
Author Bio
Hello sir, Due to some inevitable family situation I didn’t file IT for the financial year 2018-19(assessment year 2019-20)..is it possible to do now..I hv total yearly income of less than 5 lakhs..pls clarify