I-T asks e-filers of tax returns to send ITRV by speed post

If you are filing online your Income Tax return, the paper copy of the 'ITRV' should only be sent through "speed post" to the Central Processing Centre (CPC) of the department in Bengaluru.

ITRV or 'Income Tax Return - Verification' form is issued as an acknowledgement to returns filed online.

As part of facilitating better taxpayer services, the I-T department has now changed the procedure and has disallowed sending the paper statements through ordinary post or to a designated post box number.

"This is to ensure that there are no grievances with regard to non-receipt of ITRV at CPC. Even if the document is not received at CPC, the taxpayer will have a documentary proof to show that he has sent his ITRV through post to the CPC," a senior official told PTI.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has recently said that it was further simplifying the e-filing systems as it was encouraged by the increasing number of taxpayers taking the online route.

The e-filing of returns this financial year saw a jump of 40 per cent as compared to the returns filed during the corresponding period last year.

"We are trying to further simplify the e-filing procedures. Let us see what all can we do. We are progressing very fast on this issue," CBDT Chairman R K Tewari had told reporters recently.

Tewari had said that e-filing is catching up even amongst those people who are not stipulated to file their returns by the way of e-filing.

The per cent composition of such taxpayers was close to 66 per cent, he had said.

In order to weed out the hassle of sending by post a hard copy of e-filed return, the Income Tax department is also planning to bring in the facility of electronic signatures for taxpayers to endorse their bonafides.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex office to formulate policies for the Income Tax department, is preparing to implement the new mechanism by the end of the next financial year in March, 2015.