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Biometric PAN cards soon

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: In a bid to check duplicate PAN (Permanent Account Number) cards and enforce better tax compliance, the Government will soon be issuing biometric cards with enhanced security features such as fingerprint or retinal scans to all the new income tax payers in the country. The launch of these new cards may be as early as October this year.

Disclosing this at a press briefing after inaugurating the national conference of Chief Commissioners of Income Tax here on Tuesday, Finance Minister P. Chidambaram said: “The process of eliminating about 13 lakh duplicate PAN cards is in the last mile. Once that process is completed shortly, then we will set a date, after which all new PAN cards will only be biometric.” The launch “could be” this October, he said.

Existing PAN card holders, Mr. Chidambaram said, “will be persuaded to switch over to biometric PAN cards in their own interest. Earlier PAN cards will, of course, remain valid.”

The norms for the biometric cards were finalised earlier by an internal group set up by the Finance Ministry. The Ministry proposes to introduce iris-based biometric PANs to all new applicants once the data about the existing cards is updated.

Biometric identification, according to a top Ministry official, can provide extremely accurate, secured access to information. Fingerprints as also retinal and iris scans produce absolutely unique data sets when done systematically, he said.

Mr. Chidambaram said that at the conference, it was also decided that there would be an “integrated 360-degree profiling of individual tax payers.” He, however, refused to provide any further details on the aspect of tax profiling. The exercise would involve collaboration of data gathered about taxpayers through annual information reports (AIRs) regarding bank accounts, credit cards, mutual fund investment, purchase of property and share market.

On the filing of income tax returns, Mr. Chidambaram ruled out any extension beyond the July 31 deadline set for the purpose. “No chance. I suggest you file [I-T returns] today. Don’t wait until the last day. Please file today,” he said, when asked whether the Government would consider extending the deadline for individual tax payers.

E-filing of returns for tax deducted at source (TDS), he said, would be mandatory from September 1, 2007 for corporates. For companies with a turnover of Rs. 40 lakh or more annually, e-payment of TDS would be mandatory from January 1, 2008.

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