E-filing of Income Tax returns: Taxpayers to get digital signatures

In order to weed out the hassle of sending by post a hard copy of e-filed return, the Income Tax department has decided to bring in the facility of electronic signatures for taxpayers to endorse their bonafides.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex office to formulate policies for the Income Tax department, has decided to implement the new mechanism by the end of the next financial year in March, 2015.

Official sources privy to the development said that the CBDT will get in touch with the Union Ministries of Law and Communications and Information Technology to establish the legal position and technology requirements respectively before it operationalises the new protocols for the e-returns called ‘ITRV’.

‘It has to be seen what will be the procedure to obtain electronic or digital signature by the taxpayers. There should not be an additional cost or procedural burden for the taxpayer who opts to file his or her I-T return online,’ a senior official said.