ITR: You can now file it from your nearest post office
An individual has to go the CSC of a post office and enquire about filing IT returns. A designated person will be there to help
Filing income tax returns (ITR) is now possible at the nearest post office common services centre (CSC). “Now no need to travel far to file your income tax returns. You can easily access income tax return services at your nearest post office CSC counter. #AapkaDostIndiaPost,” India Post recently tweeted. There are multiple advantages for ITR at posit office CSC counters. Internet enabled e-services has already reached corners of the country via the network of India Post. CSC provides single access point for people to access postal, banking and insurance services along with other government information and benefits.
The process
An individual has to go the CSC of a post office and enquire about filing IT returns. A designated person will be there to help and following simple steps, one can file the income tax returns.
Earlier on June 7, Income Tax Department has launched its new e-filing portal www.incometax.gov.in.
On the new Income Tax website, taxpayers are allowed to proactively update their profile to provide certain details of income including salary, house property, business/profession which will be used in pre-filling their ITR.
Though the new platform is facing some glitches, vendor Infosys is working to fix the technical issues.
Vast network
India has the largest network of post office in the world. Introduction of the facility of filing ITR from post offices would make filing easy at one stroke. Pot offices are available in remote corners of the country.
The total number of post offices in India has gone up by 1.13% between 2017 and 2020. Though there has been a 1.2% dip in the number of post offices in urban areas in the same period, the rise in rural post offices more than compensated the decline.
The total number of post offices rose from 1,54,965 in end-March 2017 to 1,56,721 in end-March 2020 in India. The number of post offices in the cities went down from 15,898 to 15,703 but rural coverage increased from 1,39,067 to 1,41,018 across the country.