No extension of ITR filing deadline; over 56 mn FY21 returns filed so far

The government on Friday ruled out extending the deadline for filing of ITRs, saying there were no problems faced by taxpayers in filing returns as the total number of returns filed so far is 14 per cent higher than last year's.

As the ITR filing deadline draws to a close, over 5.62 crore returns have been filed till 3 pm, 14 per cent higher than total 4.93 crore filed till December 31 last year.

Revenue Secretary Tarun Bajaj said ITR filing is going on "very smoothly" and till 3 pm, 5.62 crore returns have already been filed in total.

"Today people have filed more than 20 lakh return which is the highest and in the last one hour, 3.44 lakh returns have been filed. So if returns are being filed in such numbers, I see no reason for anybody to claim (deadline extension)", Bajaj told reporters.

He said as on December 30 last year, 4.83 crore tax returns were filed, compared to 5.43 crore filed till December 30, 2021.

The government has already extended the deadline for filing income tax returns for 2020-21 fiscal year (ended March 2021) by five months till December 31.

"I expect another at least 20-25 lakh returns to come by 12 in the night... The figures that we were anticipating would have come... There is absolutely no proposal to extend the dates," Bajaj said.

To a query on the glitches on the I-T portal impacting filing, he said "I'm okay (with extension) if the returns were less by 1 crore. But the returns filed is more than last year's... I'm watching the figures every hour... ITR filings are going up to 3 lakh (per hour) ".