Shashi Tharoor has hit out at the Centre over glitches in the new Income Tax portal, wherein the government had spent a whopping Rs 4,200 crore. The Congress leader said the government failed to attain the objective and has created a mess instead.
Tharoor, in a tweet, said that Chartered Accountants in All India Professionals Congress (AIPC) informed him that the change of Income Tax portal has been “disastrous”, with glitches including “longer-than-usual log-in times”. “Almost all features of the new portal are non-operational, so ITR filing, 15 CA/CB forms, data prep for appeals has ground2halt,” he tweeted.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP said he is not clear when the government chose to change the income tax portal in June. “Would have been wiser just before the end of the Financial Year or the start of the next one, so that taxpayers eligible for income tax refund could have received help in these difficult times.” Tharoor asked what was the need for a new portal when the old one was running smoothly for years. “Why was the portal switched at peak time, when income tax payers usually file their returns & claim refunds? Why was no testing of the new portal done before its launch?”
The rationale for a new portal, the Congress leader said is to provide a more user-friendly, modern and seamless experience to users. “However, even after spending Rs 4,200 crores on its renovation, the government has failed to attain the objective and created a mess instead. This is the replay of the chaos with the GST portal.”
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Tharoor also pointed out that India has very few taxpayers per capita and a culture of tax evasion and black money. He said this must be the first time in history that Indian taxpayers who want to pay their taxes are not able to pay because the Income Tax portal is not working! “Penalties should be imposed & heads roll.”
However, in a tweet on June 8, the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had highlighted grievances and glitches in the new Income Tax portal. “Ease in compliance for the taxpayer should be our priority,” she said.
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