Over 1.23 crore e-returns filed by taxpayers in current season

More than 1.23 crore e-returns were filed by taxpayers during the current filing season, a 68% jump in numbers as compared to last year.

Latest data compiled after deadline for filing of income tax returns closed on August 5 shows, more than 87 lakh salaried class taxpayers filed their tax returns online this year, registering an overwhelming rise of 85% in this category as compared to the last time.

'123.03 lakh returns have been e-filed till August 5, 2013 which is 68.3% higher than 73.11 lakh returns e-filed in the corresponding period during last year. Upto August 5, 87,13,493 returns were e-filed under ITR 1 and ITR 2 (salaried class of taxpayers) which is 85.8% higher than the 46,90,279 returns e-filed under ITR 1 and ITR 2 in the corresponding period last fiscal,' the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said in a statement today.

The board had earlier extended the last date for filing of I-T returns for assessment year 2013-14 to August 5, both manual and e-filed, because of pressure on the computer servers of its Bangalore based Central Processing Centre (CPC) which deals with e-filing.

The CBDT said the deadline was extended from July 31 to August 5 as there was 'an overwhelming response to e-filing from every corner of the country.'

Interestingly, 6.92 lakh returns were e-filed on August 5 alone, the last date of filing.

The department's servers, according to official data, received a peak rate of 2,303 returns per minute during the current filing spree.

A special team of the department has been deployed to continuously monitor the web portals and other technological parameters of the official e-filing website of the I-T department--incometaxindiaefiling.Gov.In.

Electronic filing has been made mandatory for assesses having net taxable above Rs five lakh from this year.