With the last date for filing income tax (IT) returns on July 31, the Income Tax Department will start special counters to facilitate the filing of returns for salaried taxpayers and pensioners from July 27.
As many as 65 counters will be set up at Kings Court (adjacent to Gayatri Vihar, Palace Grounds) on Bellary Road to cater to those wishing to file the returns. To be inaugurated by Chief Secretary S.V. Ranganath, they will function between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. till July 31.
“There are about 4.5 lakh income tax payers in Bangalore and we expect about 1 lakh to 1.25 lakh to use the facility,” Income Tax Commissioner M. Tirumala Rao told presspersons here Thursday. Some 120 officials will be deployed to assist in the facility where separate counters would be opened for women, senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
New IT returns rule
“With the Central Board of Direct Taxes making it mandatory for those whose annual income is less than Rs. 5 lakh also to file the income tax returns, these facilities would be helpful.” Though tax payers earning more than Rs. 5 lakh have to mandatorily file e-returns, he clarified that those with income less than Rs. 5 lakh have been given option of either hard copy or online.
Among others, the facilities at the Palace Ground venue include PAN counters, ATMs, swipe machines, bank extension counters, helpdesk to facilitate filing of returns, bulk counters for those bringing many IT returns forms, medical facility to meet any emergency and food court, Joint Commissioner of Income Tax Praveen Karanth, said. “Services of e-filing intermediaries and tax return preparators would be available to assist those who require help.”
