Taxpayers to get unique number for complaints

Taxpayers having grievances regarding their income tax (I-T) refunds and tax computations will now get a unique acknowledgement number with an assurance that their complaint will be resolved within two months

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The newly introduced number will not add to confusion and will be different from the existing unique numbers issued by the income tax department to taxpayers, like the PAN, TAN and Unique Transaction Number (UTN), said authorities.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), which frames policies and rules for the I-T department, has asked all its chief commissioners across the country to ensure these new facilities for taxpayers with “immediate effect”.

The CBDT, according to sources, has issued these directions on July 5 after the Delhi High Court recently passed orders with regard to fine tuning procedures followed by the department on receipt and disposal of ‘rectification applications’ which are filed by taxpayers under Section 154 of the I-T Act.

“Whether the taxpayer files his or her rectification application by ordinary post, by hand or online, the receipt counter of the department will generate a special and unique acknowledgement number for the taxpayer by which he or she will be assured of solving the grievance.”

“The taxpayer can quote this number in any further communication with the department,” said a senior I-T officer.

It has also been instructed by CBDT that rectification applications are “decided as far as possible within a period of two months from the end of the month in which application is received.”

The CBDT has also asked the I-T department to inform the taxpayer as soon as his or her grievance is disposed of. In cases of e-filing of tax returns that reach the Central Processing Centre (CPC) of the department in Bangalore, the same procedures would be followed by them, and in case the CPC is unable to do so, it will immediately inform the assessing officer of the taxpayer to take remedial action, said the officer.

In order to plug all loopholes, the CBDT has also directed the department that all such receipts of rectification applications from taxpayers will have to be mandatorily updated in the online rectification register, which can be inspected by supervisory officers.  In case of postal complaints, these should be compulsorily recorded in the official diary maintained by the I-T authority.