Union Finance Minister Rules Out Extension Of Last Date For Filing Income Tax

New Delhi: Throwing water on expectation of the taxpayers, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Friday said the last date for filing Income Tax Return (ITR) will not be extended.

Revenue secretary Tarun Bajaj said December 31 remains the official deadline for filing of income tax returns for 2020-21 financial year. Stating that the returns filed so far are more than in the previous year, he said at least 20-25 lakh more ITRs are expected by midnight.

“The figures that we were anticipating would have come…There is absolutely no proposal to extend the dates,” India Today quoted Bajaj as saying.

On the taxpayers plea for extension in the light of glitches on the new income tax filing portal that have slowed down the process, Baja said he was watching the figures on hourly basis and ITRs were filed at the rate of 3 lakh per hour. Stating that 5.62 crore ITRS have been filed till Friday, he said 20 lakh returns were filed on the day.

Earlier, the Income Tax department had extended the deadline for filing ITRs for 2020-21 fiscal by five months till December 31.

On Wednesday, the department gave a one-time relaxation to taxpayers,  who have not e-verified their income tax returns (ITRs) for 2019-20 fiscal, to complete the verification process by February 28, 2022.

Also Read: Glitches In I-T Department Portal: Taxpayers Seek Extension Of Date For Filing ITRs

Also Read: One-Time Relaxation For Income Tax Payers To Complete Verification Of ITRs For 2019-20 Fiscal