Andhra Pradesh - Eluru   

Steps afoot to speed up I-T refund process

Staff Reporter

Electronic Clearance System to be extended to all areas

D.V. Dharmik

ELURU: D.V. Dharmik, Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, on Thursday said that the Electronic Clearance System (ECS), which was currently being implemented in the twin cities, would be extended to all mofussil areas in the State by the end of July to facilitate receipt of refund by taxpayers within 15 days after the filing of returns.

Addressing a press conference here, he said the refund would be directly credited to bank accounts of the assessees after processing the tax returns. The computer network, through which the scrutiny of returns was undertaken, would be connected to banks, facilitating the crediting of refund straight into the accounts of taxpayers.

The conventional mode of processing the returns kept taxpayers eagerly waiting for receipt of refund for 6-10 months. When brought to his notice the complaints of inordinate delay in issue of refund to the assessees in the Eluru range, Mr. Dharmik directed B.G. Reddy, Commissioner of Income Tax, Eluru range, to look into the problem. Mr Reddy admitted that about 6,000 assessees, who filed their returns in October last, were yet to receive their refund. Of the total 42,000 assesses, 36,000, who filed their returns before October, received the refund. Mr Dharmik attributed the delay to staff shortage.

Tax collection

The Chief Commissioner claimed to have achieved a phenomenal increase in tax collections in the State ever since he took over three years ago. He said the tax collections had shot up to 10,200 crores now from Rs. 4,800 crores at the time of his assuming charge. It was targeted to shore up the tax collections 25 per cent more during the current financial year, he added. Strengthening of monitoring and supervisory mechanism in the I-T department was the reason for the buoyancy in the tax collections, he added.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Steps afoot to speed up I-T refund process

Copyright © 2007, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu