35,000 more PAN holders sent letters on I-T returns

The finance ministry on Thursday said it had sent letters containing the summary of information of financial transactions, along with customised response sheets, to another 35,000 permanent account number (PAN) holders, who have not filed their returns despite being high value spenders.

"We have dispatched letters to 35,000 more PAN holders," Revenue Secretary Sumit Bose said. With this, a total 70,000 PAN holders, of 1.2 million such tax assessees, have been sent notices.

The letter contains the summary of the information of financial transaction(s), along with a customised response sheet, and seeks to know whether the person had filed a return or not.

A nodal cell has been set up to capture the response. There will be an online monitoring system to ensure follow-up action and track return filing and tax payment of the target segment.

The finance ministry has zeroed in on 1.2 million PAN holders who had not filed their returns. "The directorate of systems of the Income Tax department has undertaken a business intelligence project to identify PAN holders who have not filed returns," the ministry said last month.