Media report of reduction in numbers of e-filed ITR during FY 2018-19 incorrect says Finance Ministry.
e-filing of Income Tax Returns registers an increase of 19%. There have been some incorrect reports in media pertaining to reduction in numbers of Income Tax Returns (ITR) e-filed during Financial Year (F.Y.) 2018-19 as compared to F.Y. 2017-18.
The Finance Ministry has claimed the news as factually untrue, because the figures for F.Y. 2017-18 and F.Y. 2018-19 are not directly comparable. It is stated that during F.Y. 2017-18,out of a total of 6.74 crore ITRs which were e-filed, 5.47 crore ITRs were filed for Assessment Year(A.Y.) 2017-18 (the current year)
It has been stated that in comparison, during F.Y. 2018-19, a total of 6.68 crore ITRs were e-filed which included 6.49 crore ITRs of current A.Y. 2018-19 marking an increase of almost 19%. Substantially larger number of taxpayers filed their ITRs electronically in F.Y.2018-19 as compared to F.Y.2017-18.
During F.Y. 2017-18, apart from the returns for the A.Y. 2017-18, nearly 1.21 crore ITRs were filed for A.Y. 2016-17. Balance number of ITRs filed for A.Y. 2015-16 and prior A.Ys is 0.06 crore. In comparison, during F.Y. 2018-19 only 0.14 crore ITRs for A.Y. 2017-18 were filed.
Apparent decrease in number of ITRs filed during F.Y. 2018-19 pertaining to earlier years was due to an amendment in Section 139(5) of Income-tax Act, 1961 w.e.f. 01.04.2018, which mandated that a revised return could be furnished only upto the end of the relevant Assessment Year.
These figures are also available in the Tab-> ‘Filing growth (A.Y.)’ on the e-filing website.
As a result, only 0.14 crore ITRs pertaining to A.Y. 2017-18 were filed during F.Y. 2018-19 as these were the revised ITRs for the relevant A.Y. which could only be filed due to change in law & no other ITR of any earlier A.Y. could be filed in view of amended provisions of law.
It is also stated that the number of paper ITRs for A.Y. 2017-18 was only 9.2 lakh (1.5% of total ITRs filed) and the number of paper ITRs for A.Y. 2018-19 is 4.8 lakh (0.6% of total ITRs filed).
As per the above details, it is evident that most of the taxpayers have steadily switched to e-filing which is clear from the dwindling numbers of paper returns filed for A.Y. 2018-19 compared to earlier years.
Invitation For Empanelment Of Practising Chartered Accountants / Chartered Accountant Firms Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra Limited (FDCM Limited), Nagpur,…
Press Registrar General of India (PGRI) invites application for empanelment of Chartered Accountants. The Press Registrar General of India manages…
CBDT notifies revised Form No. 169 for making application for registration as a valuer under section 514 and authorised income…
Curtailing time to file reply to notice u/s 148A(b) from statutorily available 30 days to 15 days seriously prejudiced assessee’s…
At the stage of registration u/s 12AB, the CIT(E) not empowered to adjudicate applicability of provisio to section 2(15) of…
Flower bed area could not be included in the definition of “built up area” to calculate eligible limit of 1000…