The Income Tax Department has witnessed an impressive surge in the filing of Income Tax Returns (ITRs), setting a new record with over 8.18 crore ITRs for the Assessment Year 2023-2024 filed up to December 31, 2023. This figure represents a notable 9 per cent increase compared to the 7.51 crore ITRs filed during the same period in the previous year (AY 2022-2023).

Notably, during the fiscal year 2023-2024, the total number of audit reports and other forms filed amounted to 1.60 crore, surpassing the corresponding figure of 1.43 crore audit reports and forms filed in the previous fiscal year.

The Income Tax Department attributes this success to the proactive measures taken to encourage early filing, reaching out to taxpayers through targeted e-mails, SMS, and creative campaigns. Over 103.5 crore outreaches were conducted to motivate taxpayers to file their ITRs and Forms promptly.

One key contributor to the streamlined filing process was the use of the Annual Information Statement (AIS) and Taxpayer Information Summary (TIS) by taxpayers to cross-verify financial transactions. A significant portion of data for all ITRs was prefilled with details such as salary, interest, dividend, personal information, tax payments, including TDS-related information, brought forward losses, and MAT credit. This prefilled data significantly eased compliance for taxpayers, resulting in smoother and faster ITR filings.

Additionally, the e-filing Helpdesk team played a crucial role, handling approximately 27.37 lakh queries from taxpayers during the year up to December 31, 2023. The team offered support through various channels, including inbound calls, outbound calls, live chats, WebEx, and co-browsing sessions. Notably, the Helpdesk team proactively engaged in resolving queries received on the department's Twitter handle through Online Response Management (ORM), ensuring near real-time assistance.

To further enhance the convenience of taxpayers, the digital e-pay tax payment platform, TIN 2.0, was fully functional on the e-filing portal during the fiscal year 2023-2024. This platform replaced the OLTAS payment system and provided user-friendly options for e-payment of taxes, including internet banking, NEFT/RTGS, OTC, debit card, payment gateways, and UPI. TIN 2.0 facilitated real-time crediting of taxes to taxpayers, making the ITR filing process even more efficient.

The Income Tax Department, while celebrating the success, urges taxpayers to verify any unverified ITRs within 30 days of filing to avoid any potential consequences. The department remains committed to supporting taxpayers and maintaining momentum in tax compliance.