Representation on issues related to newly launched Income Tax Portal

‘TAX ADVOCATES’ ASSOCIATION OF BENGAL’ has made a representation before Hon’ble Finance Minister on issues related to newly launched Income Tax Portal. Their representation is as follows:’

TAX ADVOCATES’ ASSOCIATION OF BENGAL

61A, A. J. C. Bose Road, Kolkata – 700 016
Phone : (033) 2226 – 6064 / 2227 – 7402
E-mail ID : [email protected]

DATE : …………………………………

To, Hon’tole Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman Ji
Union Minister of Finance,
Ministry of Finance,
Govt. of India,
North Block, NEW DELHI – 110001

3rd August 2021

Sub: Resolution sought for the newly launched Income Tax Portal / Request to resolve the problems 85 hardships faced by the Common taxpayers for filing of various compliance under the Income Tax Act, 1961 for A.Y.2021-22.

Respected Madam,

The Income Tax Department launched its new e-filing Portal on June 7, 2021 which was expected to snake every compliance procedure much easier, faster and most importantly a hassle-free platform as it was earlier since the inception & foundation of the historic “Income Tax e-filling Portal”. However, even after the interactive meeting held by the senior Finance ministry officials with the Infosys on June 22 to discuss technical glitches and grievances in the recently launched Income Tax e-filing portal. Stakeholders including ICAI members, auditors, consultants and taxpayers were part of that interactive meeting. There in the interactive meeting on June 22,2021 “Representatives from Infosys were present to answer queries, clarify issues and receive inputs on the working of the portal, to remove glitches and sort out issues faced by taxpayers,” as said by the Income Tax department in an official statement post the ineteractivesession But, still after crossing of several days after the meeting there seem to have been no improvement in the e-filling portal and likewise several taxpayers across the nation and our tax community have faced distressing difficulties since the launch of the new e-filling portal while using it.

The various glitches faced by the taxpayers inter alia as under:

1. In many times during 24 hours run of the new portal,ITR-V of previous & current A.Y. cannot be downloaded from the new portal.

2. E-verification process of earlier A.Y. returns is not functioning.

3. Bank Account validation procedure is not functioning and so for that reason the assesse cannot able to file their returns properly.

4. All correspondences of earlier years are not reflected in the e-Proceedings section, so the assesse cannot able to see all the earlier submitted petitions or submissions of various time barring cases & proceding u/s 245.

5. DSC is not getting registered or updated for Firms’& Cooperative Society as welt The new DSC management utility i.e. “emBridge” empowered by e-MUDHRA Limited developed for usage by taxpayers is functioning abnormally since its incorporation into the new efilling portal. As DSC is not registered for certain class of assesse so they can not give response in the e proceeding tab for time barring notices Issued by the department resulting apprehension of adverse order against the assesse and also not able to file appeals within time limit.

6. Outstanding demands of earlier years are not reflecting in the portal, thus it is very much hard for the assesses to view or download the demand order u/s 156 in order to comply for the same.

7. The Forgot Password Option is not working.So, after reaching to “Ask helpline” number, nothing gets resolved and the helpless assesse gets the same repetitive error message from the portal.

8. Refund re-issue request are not showing in the portal and that is why refund procedure of the assesses are stuck in the middle thus causing heavy cash crunch and working capital requirement in the business houses.

9. Grievance redressal section into the portal is not functioning at all.

10.Along with ITR-V all other attachments related to previous A.Y. cannot be downloaded. Also, Intimation for returns are not available for download as it was in earlierportal.

11.There is no option or tab for VSV, as many assesses have already prepared their documents for uploading it but couldn’t do it and hence they cannot able to upload Form- and are getting information of FORMS. And as in these faceless regime, an assesse cannot able to reach out to the jurisdictional office of the designated A.O. in order to make appeal for assistance with regard to resolving the problems being faced by the a ssesse’s.

12. Even though, the due dates of filling all sorts of returns u/s 139 have been extended by way of an earlier notification, but the still the new portal is demanding for Late fees u/s 234F automatically, and the assesse is helpless and cant able to file their return but upon payment of Late fees which is unjustified as per the Law.

13. calculation on payment of Advance Tax u/s 2348 & 234C is wrongly getting reflected in the portal, thus leading to evidence of one more mal- functionality of portal.

14. Also, New registration of Assesse’s cannot be done into the new e-filling portal despite infinite number of attempts from either the assesse’shimself or by the tax professionals.

15. Abnormal behaviour of the portal throughout the day as well as the new portal is very slow in nature which causes consumes heavy amount of time while filling returns. Whereas, in earlier old portal this scenario was negligible and there was hardly any days of glitch.

16. once, return is filled, the copy of the return is not reflecting in the portal, which is a major misbehaviour from the portal in the last 17 years of the inception of e-filling option for the taxpayers, since September,2004.

17. Online rectification u/s 154 is not functioning in the portal.

18. Still now, Form 1TR-3 is not available in the portal.

19. The taxpayers are unable to file TDS Returns due to abrupt functioning of TAN Site and also as the Govt. still now not allowing the access to all the “ASP providers” in the country for smooth functioning of uploading and filling of TDS returns.

20. The taxpayers are unable to file Income Tax Returns for AY 2021-22, in a smoother and hustle free manner as it was earlier in the old Income Tax e-filling portal. The taxpayers facing great distress while filling the 1.7′. return either through the Online(recommended) mode, even though the online mode is working on half-baked basis but to your kind information the offline mode introduced into the new e-filling portal, which is the json utility file, the same is not functioning and hence the assesse cannot able to file their return.

21. There is no option to file the defective return u/s 139(9).

22. DIN is not getting auto populated in the new ITO Web-site. Also the PAN/Aadhaar numbers of the members of the AOP, BOI, Trust are not getting auto populated.

23.Challan Numbers are not getting validated. TDS deducted and reflected in FORM 26AS is not auto populated in filing return in online mode.

25. The Pan &Aadharmis-match error messages is still showing in the upodate profile section of the portal whenever an assesse logs in though there is no such mismatch in practical.

26.The newly created “Income Tax Forms” tab is working in a very poor manner.

27. Also the newly created tab of “Download Pre-Filled data” is still not working and not showing any kind of information in order to download pre-filled data of the assesse for filling of return.

28. Also, the Govt. should carry out an immediate action in order to give permission and access to all the currently operated “ASP providers” in the country, so that every assesse can file his/her returns as well as all those compliances which are to be complied with as per the “Income Tax ACT,1961” in a faster, safer, smoother and in total complete hustle-free manner.

16. As we all know that time is very precious for the assesse, the Advocates, the CA’S, Other professionals, the tax consultants etc. and as for the Government as well, and we know that every compliance under the Income Tax Act,1961 is time barred and it should be done within the prescribed due dates incorporated as per the legislature. So, it is our earnest request to you Hon’ble Mom, that do please the repair or renew the portal to its full potential so as to help the taxpayers for lighting fast filling of every compliance and reduce the heavy and inhuman work burden in upcoming days of every taxpayer and the professionals thus keeping in track with the nearing due dates and complete the work in due time.

16. Website is very slow and heavy and consumes a lot of data. We understand that the new Income Tax Portal has been launched to ease the process of data inflow and outflow and in order to keep up with the latest technology and we appreciate the intention in doing so. Even though the intention is appreciated, what is lacking is the conviction in which the Portal has been launched without taking into consideration the opinion of the taxpayers. It is also understood that there always arise teething problems at the launch of a new venture, but the problems the taxpayers, professionals are facing are multiple which cannot be termed as ‘teething problems’ and there seems to be serious flaws in the new Income Tax Portal 2.0. So many features essentially required are not there in the new Income Tax Portal 2.0 and many features are still not working. The Income Tax Portal was launched on June 7, 2021 prior to which with effect from June 1, 2021 the portal was closed, where practically no work can be carried out under the new Income Tax Portal. There is statutory limitation to the compliances and in case of failure would result in adverse consequences to the taxpayer and therefore it was of even more importance that the launch of the new Income Tax Portal should have been more carefully planned. On behalf of the Tax Advocate’s Association of Bengal we request your Intervention to immediately solve the problems faced by the Taxpayers in the New Income Tax Portal..

We strongly believe that as Income Tax portal is framed to collect revenue and other financial information’s from the taxpayers so it is the prime duty of the government to smoothen the use of Income Tax portal so that every taxpayer can make their compliances from time to time with comfort and in a lighting fast manner.

We request to the Ministry Of Finance; for repair, updation and hassle-free operation of the New Income Tux Portal 2.0 as it was earlier since its historic inception & introduction to the common taxpayers and make the life of taxpayers easy and smooth going, so that every compliance on the part of the taxpayers are complied with in due time.

Thank you in anticipation,
Yours faithfully,

(SIDDHARTHA MUKHOPADHYA Y)

GENERAL SECRETARY,

TAX ADVOCATES’ ASSOCIATION OF BENGAL(TAAB).

Registered under West Bengal Societies Act. 1961 vide no: 50011469 of 2019-2e