Thousands throng special counters to file income tax returns

Thousands thronged the special counters setup by the income tax department at Palace Grounds to enable people file their income tax returns.

Over 5,000 utilised the special counter service, till late afternoon.

The department expected the figure would rise to 8,000 by the end of the day.
The counters will be open on till July 31. The hall has 82 counters in all.

Besides tax payers, those that visited the Gayathri Vihar, on Palace grounds, included those curious to learn about the facilities offered there.

The I-T department, which has put up the counters for the sixth consecutive year, has created several facilities to ensure more tax payers turn up.

Hoping to draw at least one lakh tax payers of the total 4.5 lakh payers in City, the department has created counters for PAN verification, another which verifies and ensures a tax payer files his returns at the right counter, a Centralised Processing Centre (CPC) which answers all queries related to e-filings, Receiving Paper Returns (RPR) counter  (for people who file returns physically other than e- filing), self help desk to assist people on how to begin and whom to approach.

I-T Commissioner (Bangalore-V) M Thirumala Kumar said this year they have separate help desks for senior citizens, women and differently abled people.

A separate counter to help tax payers with income below Rs 5 lakh, has people trained by the department, providing assistance for a small fee.

A food court, children’s play arena and medical facility, as also an ambulance is stationed to meet any emergency.

The department has set up 30 e-filing counters.

“Last year we had ten counters. This year, we increased them following suggestions by tax payers,” Kumar said. A suggestion box to improve upon services from people has been kept outside the camp office.

Shortcomings

Every thing is fine, but they do not give printouts. If they can do that it will be much better said M Gajendran, a State Bank of Mysore staffer.

Dr Prabhavathi, medical officer with South Western Railways said: If there is no printout, we have to check our mail, take a printout and then send it to the IT department. It is time consuming. There should be some mechanism to take print out and drop the signed paper here.”