Income Tax filing: The Income Tax (I-T) Department has issued a fresh notice on extension of deadline of ITR returns. The I-T department recently addressed misinformation circulating on social media platforms regarding the extension of the deadline for filing Income Tax Returns (ITR). It is to be noted that the deadline for the ITR filing is July 31, 2024, which means just 6 days are left before the deadline.
The department clarified that a news clipping claiming that the e-filing deadline has been extended to August 31 is false. It is important to rely on official announcements and updates from the I-T department to stay informed about any changes to deadlines or regulations. The last date to file ITR for FY2023-24 is July 31, 2024, the IT department said.
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“It has come to our knowledge that a clipping of Sandesh news is circulating on social media regarding extension of date of e-filing of ITR. This is FAKE news. Taxpayers are advised to follow updates from the official website/portal of IncomeTaxIndia,” as per the Income Tax Department’s social media post on X (formerly Twitter).
The Income Tax department’s website reported that as of July 22, 2024, over 4 crore ITRs were filed, signifying an increase of over 8% compared to the filings during the corresponding period in the previous year. On July 16, the daily number of ITRs filed surpassed 15 lakh, with expectations of further escalation in the daily filings as the approaching due date of July 31, 2024 nears.
The department added, “While the milestone of filing of 1 crore of ITRs for AY 2024-25 arrived on 23rd June 2024, the 2 crore milestone and 3 crore milestone has been achieved on 7th July and 16th July respectively which is also earlier than last year. The 4 crore milestone was achieved on 24 July last year. Taxpayers facing any technical problem related to filing may reach out to our tollfree helpdesk numbers (1800 103 0025 or 1800 419 0025) or Efilingwebmanager@incometax.gov.in.”
The department has recently alerted taxpayers about a concerning trend involving fraudulent activities beyond the dissemination of false information, notably in the form of fake tax refund scams. Criminals are utilizing SMS and email platforms to falsely promise tax refunds as a means to unlawfully access individuals’ financial accounts. In light of this menace, taxpayers are strongly urged to exercise vigilance and authenticate all correspondence regarding tax refunds exclusively through reputable and verified official channels.
Many taxpayers and Chartered Accountants are currently encountering challenges when submitting tax filings due to technical difficulties. Several prominent associations, such as ICAI, Karnataka State Chartered Accountants Association (KSCAA), and the All Gujarat Federation of Tax Consultants and Income Tax Bar Association have raised concerns regarding the operational issues of the Income Tax Portal and updates in AIS/TIS. In response to these issues, the All Gujarat Federation of Tax Consultants and Income Tax Bar Association have collectively proposed an extension of the deadline for filing Income Tax Returns for AY 2024-25, suggesting a shift from the current date of July 31, 2024, to August 31, 2024.