The Income Tax department will soon launch an Internet-based grievance redressal system for taxpayers to lodge their complaints with taxman. The new online facility will also enable taxpayers to register their complaints and put applications to the I-T Ombudsman present in 12 cities across the country including Mumbai and Delhi, the two topmost tax paying regions respectively.
Currently, taxpayers can file their tax returns online by logging on the official website of the department –www.Incometaxindia.gov.in.
According to a senior I-T department official, the grievance redressal facility will either be made available on the official website of the department or a new portal would be launched.
“Grievances related to tax refunds and delay in services rendered by the department like allotment of various tax numbers among others could be lodged on the new e-support system,” the officer said.
The department is presently conducting a trial run of the new facility and once fully satisfied, it will connect all the department offices with the network.
After registering online complaints, the taxpayer will also receive an acknowledgement number which would have a fixed time limit that will ensure that it is redressed within a stipulated duration.
As of now, taxpayers have to throng the tax department’s offices in order to get their complaints resolved for redressal of a number of services.
The online facility will aim to create a hassle-free facility for tax payers across the country, the officer added.
The I-T department’s online facilities currently feature services like e-payment of taxes, filing of TDS returns, Annual Information Returns, Online Tax Accounting System (OLTAS), Tax Return Prepares Scheme (TRPS), Tax Information Network and help desk, as well as tax payers queries and feedback services.
With reference to the critical comments (out of 19 in all till today)on “I-T Department decided to “clean up the mismatched TDS database” and issue income tax refunds” in Taxguru of 24 June, it is very important that the Government has thus accepted that the system of IT Ombudsman ha TOTALLY FAILED and is a huge fraud on the country’s exchequer. Going by the conduct of these retired “Daily wager civil servants” and the manner in which they handle grievances, particularly the present Delhi Ombudsman, there is no doubt that these people remain typical clerks devoid of any culture of Civil Service and are as usual interested to enjoy every thing for free. They do NOT attend offic, they refuse to entertain aggrieved tax payers, they are afraid to take up cudgels with the ITOs (for obvious reasons), and for every thing, they ask the petitioners to approach the ITOs only.
Then, in this latest cointext, why should the government continue to provide for these incompetent, inefficient and unwilling retired civil servants ar fat salaries? This office must immediately be closed.
This is a very good effort taken by the government.The steps taken on greavance should be published and stringent action should be taken against wrong doers.
Firstly, they should disclose their email id at their website. It is amazing that the income-tax authorities do not have an email id of their own!
This is a good step and should be implemented soon, all over the country. However, care should be taken to ensure that a copy of the online complaint should be made available to the tax payer by sending a copy of the complaint along with an official acknowledgement no. to the registered e mail address of the taxpayer.
It is essential that this online complaint system should be made applicable to all taxpayer, even to those who dont file their tax return online but submit the hard copy of their return to their assessing officers.
Durectorate of Public Grievances (DPG) within the Cabinet Secretariat is using a very robust Public Grievances Redress & Monitoring System (PGRAMS) since 1998-99 successfully. May be the new portal should be designed accordingly, rather than spend crores of rupees devising a new one.