Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
The final day to file income tax returns, the Income Tax Department’s website remained down throughout the day, leaving an estimated 8% of taxpayers in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar unable to submit returns on Monday.
Chartered Accountants (CAs) and their staff worked from morning till midnight, but repeated crashes caused frustration. CA associations even sent a representation to the union Finance Minister requesting a deadline extension. However, the central government did not extend the filing date as of Monday night. Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has more than 2.5 lakh taxpayers. Staff and CAs have been working late nights and even on Sundays since August to complete returns due to the website’s high traffic and frequent crashes.
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Penalties despite technical issues
Though the website failures were technical, taxpayers may still face penalties. A ₹5,000 fine is expected for affected returns, and losses cannot be carried forward. Taxpayers with incomes below ₹5 lakh may face a Rs 1,000 penalty.
— CA Mahesh Indani, President, ICAI Local Branch
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Cancelled leaves and extended efforts
CAs and staff have been filing returns under pressure since August, often working late nights and Sundays to meet deadlines. The ICAI had formally requested the union Finance Minister to extend the filing deadline.
— CA Umesh Sharma, Member, National Executive, ICAI