Spread of awareness amongst taxpayers
The various modifications and up gradations of Income Tax Website has mandated the tax payers to update their contact details in the Income Tax Website. This method was implemented to create awareness and consciousness amongst the tax payers. Formerly the income tax accounts of the tax payers are entirely controlled by their CAs which is quite unlike in the current scenario wherein the tax payers can access their income tax accounts. The consequences of excessive dependence on the CAs regarding return filing or receipt of refund resulted to the vulnerability of the taxpayers. However the modern regulations that insisted the taxpayers to validate their registered Email ID and Phone Number has enabled to increase the access of the tax payers to any intimation, notice or assessment order given by the Department relating to their income tax accounts. This mechanism enforced that a particular phone number and email ID cannot be used by more than 10 assesses, thereby encouraging the taxpayers to substitute the email ID and phone number of their CAs with their personal contact details.
The process of validation was introduced to encounter the problem of non receipt of any communication from the Department due to the incorrect email ID and mobile number registered in the income tax account of the taxpayer in the Income tax Website. Moreover the individual taxpayers are also benefitted lest they intend to reset their password in the event they forget their income tax password as the new temporary password shall be sent by the department to their updated email ID. In addition to this, the taxpayers have the option to voluntarily provide secondary contact details of any person designated by him in their profile.
However this has raised a big question mark for the CAs, since most of the taxpayers are not well versed with e-filing and are dependent for return filing and also for viewing the intimations sent from the Department on their CAs or those who assist them in tax filing. The aged taxpayers are mostly not adequately technologically equipped, may not be having a registered email ID and even a mobile phone number which restrains them from independently using their contact details.
In the modern day income tax climate in Indian context, where there is an inclination towards “system orientation” to the maximum possible extent, the new regulation has become successful to win over the confidence of a wide range of taxpayers due to its ability to prevent the leakage of the vital income tax related information of the taxpayers. The modus operandi of the scheme is to send an OTP (One Time Password) in the registered email ID and mobile number tagged to the individual assesses. Eventually the registered contact detail has to be validated by using the OTP to authenticate their income tax account and thereafter the same could be logged on. The validity of the OTP remains for a duration of not more than 24 hours and the process of validation has to be completed within this time span. However for Foreign/ NRI taxpayers the authentication of the email ID shall be sufficient. Henceforth the individual assessee can remain assured that their personal information relating to their income tax accounts are well protected from any unauthorized access or modifications.
This is a One Time Process of validation of the contact details. In the event of any change in the mobile number or email ID the income tax profile of the taxpayer, the same process has to be repeated to ensure that the requisite particulars are correct.
