Income Tax grievances to be registered online

Tax payers will now be able to lodge their grievances with the taxman at the click of a mouse, with the launch of an online complaint redressal mechanism on the lines of the existing e-filing facility of tax returns. 

The facility will soon be available on the official Web site of the Income- Tax (IT) Department, with the completion of the trial run of this maiden initiative in the next few months. 

“The department will now start to register the grievances of the taxpayer on the official portal also, similar to the online filing of tax returns facility,” said a senior IT official involved in developing the new process. 

The trial run of this facility named ‘Sevottam' is already being experimented on a pilot-basis in Mumbai and Udaipur, the official said. While registering online complaints, the tax payer will also receive an acknowledgment number, which would have a fi xed time limit that will ensure that it is redressed within a stipulated duration. 

The online facility aims to create a hassle-free facility for tax payers across the country, the official added.

Failure to furnish return of income

[Penalty for failure to furnish return of income.

Section 271F. If a person who is required to furnish a return of his income, as required under sub-section (1) of section 139 or by the provisos to that sub-section, fails to furnish such return before the end of the relevant assessment year, the Assessing Officer may direct that such person shall pay, by way of penalty, a sum of five thousand rupees.]

[Failure to get accounts audited.

271B. If any person fails ⁸⁴[***] to get his accounts audited in respect of any previous year or years relevant to an assessment year or ⁸⁵[furnish a report of such audit as required under section 44AB], the ⁸⁶[Assessing] Officer may direct that such person shall pay, by way of penalty, a sum equal to one-half per cent of the total sales, turnover or gross receipts, as the case may be, in business, or of the gross receipts in profession, in such previous year or years or a sum of one hundred thousand rupees, whichever is less.]

 

 

[Failure to furnish returns of income.

276CC. If a person wilfully fails to furnish in due time ³⁶[the return of fringe benefits which he is required to furnish under sub-section (1) ofsection 115WD or by notice given under sub-section (2) of the said section or section 115WH or] the return of income which he is required to furnish under sub-section (1) of section 139 or by notice given under ³⁷[clause (i) of sub-section (1) of section 142] or section 148 ³⁸[or section 153A], he shall be punishable,

(i) in a case where the amount of tax, which would have been evaded if the failure had not been discovered³⁹, exceeds one hundred thousand rupees, with rigorous imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to seven years and with fine;

(ii) in any other case, with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three months but which may extend to three years and with fine:

Provided that a person shall not be proceeded against under this section for failure to furnish in due time the ⁴⁰[return of fringe benefits under sub-section (1) of section 115WD or] return of income under sub-section (1) ofsection 139

(i) for any assessment year commencing prior to the 1st day of April, 1975; or

(ii) for any assessment year commencing on or after the 1st day of April 1975, if

(a) the return is furnished by him before the expiry of the assessment year; or

(b) the tax payable by him on the total income determined on regular assessment, as reduced by the advance tax, if any, paid, and any tax deducted at source, does not exceed three thousand rupees.]

 

So .5% of turnover is to be paid only if tax audit u/s 44AB is not conducted.

You can take tax audit report from ca before 30.09.2008 and file belated return and can pay only penalty of Rs. 5,000 under section 271F.