New Income Tax Site: Ill-timed launch of heavy, data guzzling site frustrates return filers

Such a heavy website being made stay within the peak season with so many bugs and errors shouldn’t be one thing which the taxpayers will admire.

With a view to file his Revenue Tax Return (ITR), Amit (title modified) opened the e-filing website on June 9, 2021. Whereas typing the URL, the browser auto stuffed the tackle of the previous earnings tax website. As an alternative of redirecting to the brand new e-filing website, the homepage of the previous website opened. Nonetheless, on clicking the “Login Right here” button, the message – “Please go to the brand new e-filing portal ‘incometax.gov.in’ appeared on the display screen.

So, he opened the brand new e-filing website by fastidiously typing the URL. Curious in regards to the newsite, he glanced via the house web page to know the brand new options and think about the guided tour of the brand new portal video.

Nonetheless, when he tried to log in, after taking a lot time, the login web page didn’t open. Amit was utilizing the WiFi Hotspot of his cellular having a quota of 1.5GB per day, which he normally finds ample to fulfill his requirement for Work From Dwelling (WFH) and utilizing social media websites. To his dismay, nevertheless, Amit acquired a message that fifty per cent of his high-speed quota of 1.5GB knowledge was used up inside a couple of minutes of opening the brand new e-filing website.

Amit not solely didn’t login and file his ITR, however his quest to file ITR additionally hit his WFH onerous.

Expressing his opinion, CA Karan Batra, Founder and CEO CharteredClub.com, stated, “Such a heavy website being made stay within the peak season with so many bugs and errors shouldn’t be one thing which the taxpayers will admire.”

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“Might to October is the height season, when there may be a whole lot of load on the earnings tax web site and from November to April, there may be low site visitors on the earnings tax web site,” knowledgeable Batra, including, “Lots of people wish to file returns proper now as nicely for the next causes:- 1. To keep away from curiosity on late cost of tax (no reduction has been given and 1 per cent curiosity per thirty days is at the moment relevant) and a pair of. Some wish to take residence mortgage for which ITR is required.”

Pointing to the timing of launching the positioning, Batra stated, “I believe it has been up to date on the improper time. That is the height season and a whole lot of taxpayers will face points. Had they executed this within the non-peak interval, they might have simply executed testing and launched a number of tutorials as nicely.”

“The non-public earnings tax softwares have additionally stopped working as they are going to begin the software program updation course of as soon as the earnings tax web site is totally up to date,” Batra additional stated.

With the deadline for issuing Type 16 by employers prolonged as much as July 15, 2021, submitting of returns by salaried workers is but to select up. Furthermore, with a majority of taxpayers submitting their ITR simply earlier than the due date, the e-filing website bears the utmost load simply earlier than the due date of submitting return.

The heavy load across the due date used to push even the previous lighter website down, usually leading to extension in due dates earlier.

So, if such is the situation of the brand new e-filing website with the upper load but to return, it could be a nightmare for the taxpayers to file their returns near the prolonged due date of September 30, 2021, until prolonged additional.