I-T dept creates 56 new ASK offices for taxpayers

In order to create better facilities for taxpayers, the Income Tax department has created 56 new outreach centres across the country during this financial year.

The Aaykar Sampark Kendras (ASKs) or popularly known as computerised I-T offices, are a single-window mechanism for taxpayers for filing their returns, checking refunds and grievance redressal.

All these centres have at least one dedicated computer system with internet connection and a taxpayer can get a number of things done like resolving PAN card related enquiries, viewing of 26AS tax statement, checking refund status for e-filed returns and obtaining tax related circulars.

"Out of the total 59 ASKs which were proposed to be setup during financial year 2013-14, the infrastructure for setting up 56 new ASKs across the country has been completed," a senior I-T officer said.

A number of authorised Tax Return Preparers ( TRPs) have also been deputed at these centres to help individual taxpayers with regard to their queries and filing of I-T returns.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), administrative authority of the I-T department, has already established 50 such ASKs in various cities.

These centres also have been provided with a dedicated desk for receiving PAN and TAN applications through authorised representatives of NSDL and UTIISL, the agencies which prepare these documents on behalf of the I-T department.

The ASKs, the official said, now have presence in all corners of the country with both metro and tier-II cities being included in the project.


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E-filing of I-T returns: Taxpayers to get digital signatures

"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."

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Eight hidden facts about Employee Provident Fund (EPF)

Pension and insurance. Out of each contribution (12%) that you make, 8.33% goes to EPS (Employee Pension scheme) account which is used to generate pension for the employee post retirement. Apart from this, employee is also covered for some insurance in case unforeseen event happens while he/she is in service. This insurance amount ranges from Rs. 5000

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An ombudsman for your tax grievances

From non-refund of taxes to the rude behaviour of officials, the tax ombudsman handles a wide range of complaints

Your tax refund for a particular year has been due for a long time now. Perhaps you also applied for a PAN card for your daughter, but it still hasn’t come through. You have approached the officers concerned several times, but all in vain.

Enter the ombudsman

Don’t fret! There is another route open for aggrieved taxpayers like you to have their issues addressed. There is a parallel authority, the Income Tax Ombudsman, to resolve grievances against the department.

The offices of the ombudsman are located in select cities. These are Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Kochi, Bhopal, Ahmedabad and Lucknow.

A list of the appropriate ombudsman for residents of each state and union territory, along with the coordinates of the officers to be approached, is available on the I-T department's website, www.incometaxindia.gov.in

Nature of complaints

Besides commonplace issues such as an undue delay in refunds or non-allotment of PAN, the jurisdiction of the ombudsman extends to several other complaints.

You can approach this authority in events such as non-acknowledgment of letters or documents sent to the department, delay in giving effect to appellate orders, non-credit of tax already paid (including TDS), non-communication of reasons in case your return is selected for scrutiny or even non-adherence to prescribed working hours by tax officials or unwarranted rude behaviour on their part.

‘The Income Tax Ombudsman Guidelines 2010’, also available online, outline the grounds on which a complaint can be made.

Before proceeding, in order to ensure that your complaint will be entertained, you can solicit the help of your auditor or officials in your company’s legal department to check if your complaint will be accepted.

Procedure for complaints

Before you approach the ombudsman, do remember that you must first try to resolve all complaints with the relevant authorities within the income tax department.

You can move to the ombudsman only after they either reject the complaint, or don’t give a satisfactory response or, at the worst, don’t reply at all, even one month after you have made your grievance known to them.

In such a situation, make sure that you approach the ombudsman within one year from the time of rejection or non-satisfactory response, or in case there is no reply altogether, within 13 months from the time of making the complaint.

Complaints need to be made in writing or through email. The letter should include the name and address of the complainant, the name of the office and the official of the department against whom the complaint is made. You also have to provide the facts giving rise to the complaint along with supporting documents and the relief sought from the ombudsman.

You can also use your authorised representative to make a complaint on your behalf.

Settlement

Once the ombudsman receives a complaint, he will forward it to the relevant income-tax authority and will try to resolve the dispute through mediation or conciliation. If a complaint is not settled in this manner within a period of one month from the date of its receipt, the ombudsman will make a decision on the case after hearing out both the parties.

The decision may include a direction to the concerned income tax authority to perform his duty and a token compensation amount to the complainant for the loss suffered. So don’t despair when you have troubles with the tax department.

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Look at life insurance as a pure risk cover

People don’t ask for maturity benefits on motor insurance, but they look for it in life insurance
A term life cover is a pure risk policy. But as people ask for maturity benefits, insurers add an investment component to the policy, says KS Gopalakrishnan, MD & CEO, AEGON Religare Life Insurance. He has pioneered the concept of online life insurance and united-linked products with an investment guarantee in India. He is also a member of the Institute of Actuaries of India.Edited excerpts from an interview:Why do you mix insurance and investment?Historically, that has always been the case, and not just in India. So, for example, you may be having a vehicle − a car or a scooter. When you insure your vehicle, you don’t ask what you get on maturity. But if I try to sell life insurance to you, your first question will be on what you can get at the end of the policy term. People don’t think they will die. The thought process is that something bad happens only to others − that’s how people view life. So when people ask what they get on maturity, company A declares it will give back premiums on maturity, Company B says it will give pack premiums plus an ‘X’ per cent return on it. Company C will add a bonus.

Interest payable on TDS refund - Key Court decision!

The Supreme Court has ruled that the income tax department is liable to pay interest on the refund of tax made to resident deductor companies. A large number of appeals moved by the government against various orders of the high courts were dismissed with the observation that "the state, having received the money without right and having retained and used it, is bound to make the party good, just as an individual would be under like circumstances". In one typical case, Union of India vs Tata Chemicals Ltd, the company had sought the assistance of two technicians from Haldor Topsoe, Denmark. The foreign company charged Tata for services and reimbursement of expenses. Tata deducted 20 per cent tax before remitting the amounts to the Danish firm. On reimbursement amount, there was a dispute and, therefore, Tata moved the appellate forum, arguing it was not income. The authority agreed and directed refund on the reimbursement part. But interest was not paid. The company claimed interest also. The revenue authorities denied interest, arguing that refunds could be made only under provisions of the Income Tax Act and not in cases where refunds are made based on notifications, as in this case. The Supreme Court settled the question in favour of companies which are deductors, stating that "the government cannot shrug off its apparent obligation to reimburse the deductors lawful money with the accrued interest for the period of undue retention of
such monies".

India acts tough on black money, may levy 30% withholding tax on Swiss investments

In a bid to get Switzerland to act on a long-pending demand for information on unaccounted money of Indians in Swiss banks, New Delhi is considering a 30% withholding tax on all kinds of payments made from India to individuals, incorporated entities and permanent establishments located in the European nation.
The move comes barely a fortnight after India agreed with the US to share information about American citizens and residents holding financial accounts in India in order to avoid all Indian financial institutions operating in the US being subjected to a similar 30% withholding tax when they bring back funds of their Indian clients.
India's plan to act tough with Switzerland would impact Swiss companies in India like Novartis and Roche and a large number of global companies operating in both countries. The payments their Indian arms make to their Swiss parents would not be recognised by India's Income Tax department as an expense while calculating their taxable income here. Also, all receipts from Swiss entities would be considered as income in India unless satisfactorily explained otherwise.

Insuring both your life and money

Strict rules on solvency and audits, along with checks on the returns offered, make your insurance money safe
While the life insurance industry has often been criticised for delivering low returns to policy holders, they are still extremely safe investment options. This is because of the strict regulations and multiple safeguards that have been built into the regulations, more so with the advent of private insurers.Stiff requirements

It is mandatory for each private insurer to deposit an amount of ₹100 crore as paid-up capital with the Reserve Bank of India prior to the grant of a licence by IRDA (in collaboration with a foreign partner). The maximum extent of equity in the paid-up capital cannot exceed 26 per cent and no amount can be invested outside India. Secondly, every life insurance company needs to keep a solvency ratio of at least 150 per cent. That is, it needs to maintain the value of its assets above 50 per cent of its liabilities to ensure that the company has the ability to pay out claims in case of unforeseen events. Thirdly, every insurer, in respect of all the insurance business transacted in India, has to submit a balance sheet and revenue account at the end of each financial year, clearly indicating its financial health and a valuation of its liabilities. All these documents are subject to audit by a certified auditor. An Actuarial Valuation Report is also required to be submitted to IRDA. In addition to this, each company goes through multiple audits during the year.Safe instruments

Use proper challans to deposit your taxes

I am a salaried person. For the assessment year 2012-13, I paid self-assessment tax for the interest I earned in an FD. In the tax payment challan (challan 282), I selected the interest tax category (major head 24). Now, I have got a tax-demand for the exact amount I paid as tax. The form 26AS shows my tax payment. I tried to file rectification request, giving the challan details, but still got a tax credit mismatch notification. What is the way out for countering this demand?
-Thiyagu
Challan 282 is to be used for payment of security transaction tax, hotel receipts tax, estate duty, interest tax (major head 24), wealth tax, expenditure tax/other direct taxes and gift tax. However, for paying income tax on the interest on a fixed deposit, challan 280 should have been used (income tax other than companies-major head 21). Assuming that the taxes were paid online, a request for correction of the same can be made to your Assessing Officer, who is authorised under the departmental OLTAS application to make such correction in challan data in bonafide cases so as to enable credit of the taxes paid. On the basis of your application, the Assessing Officer can do the verification and you will be able to get the credit.

I opened a PPF account in the name of my minor child and put

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Tax-saving investment can be done within calendar month

Taxpayers looking to save taxes on long-term capital gains, but not willing to invest in a house property, are eligible to invest the capital gains in specified bonds of public sector undertakings like National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) and save capital gains taxes under section 54EC of the Income Tax (I-T) Act. These bonds offer a lock-in period of three years beyond which they can be liquidated. The interest rate offered by the bonds is approximately 6 per cent and the interest earned on the bonds is taxable.

These bonds are a good option available for taxpayers to save capital gains taxes without committing money over the long term. The section, however, restricts the amount of exemption to Rs 50 lakh invested in these bonds per financial year.

Section 54EC of the I-T Act provides that where the long-term capital gain is invested by a taxpayer, at any time within a period of six months after the date of transfer of the capital asset, in the specified bonds, then the resulting capital gains will be exempt to the extent of amount invested in the bonds. Recently, in a case that came up before the Special Bench of Income

Sebi, bourses, investors, all gear up for election outcome

With Indian stock markets reaching dizzying heights on hopes of a strong and stable government after the ongoing general elections, investors have started adding 'defensive' stocks to shock-proof their portfolios ahead of poll results due May 16.
At the same time, capital market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), stock exchanges and market intermediaries are also working to ring-fence the systems and infrastructure from any sudden volatility on the results day, or around that date.
Officials said 'mock stress tests' have been conducted at exchanges under supervision of Sebi to ensure that the markets are ready to withstand any shocks that may arise out of sudden increase in volumes.
The preparations are being done while keeping in mind the experience of May 18, 2009 - the day when results of last Lok Sabha polls were announced and the markets gained so much that trading had to be halted.
That date is still known as 'Magic Monday' in stock market as the benchmark index Sensex posted its biggest ever gain of over 2,100 points in just one minute of trading after investors were enthused by a decisive verdict in the then-concluded general elections.
However, the gains were limited to a few investors on that date as trading could not continue for the day.
The experience was another extreme on May 17, 2004, soon after the announcement of 2004 Lok Sabha elections, the markets witnessed their worst-ever bloodbath on concerns of uncertainty over the economic reforms as the then NDA government was voted out of power.
That time also, the bourses were forced to suspend trading twice to contain volatility, while investor wealth worth Rs 1,24,000 crore got wiped out despite all efforts to contain the losses.
All necessary groundwork has been done to prepare for any eventuality on the results day this time, while there have also been requests from some quarters to extend the trading beyond the stipulated 3.30 pm on May 16, Friday, the officials added.
Besides, there are also demands to conduct trading on the next day, although markets are normally closed on Saturdays and Sundays.

The need to understand macros

 It is true that if you are invested over the very long-term, short-term volatility will be wiped out. But in practice, investors seldom invest for the very long-term, choosing asset classes based on immediate performance. They don’t read macro factors or the investment climate before a decision. This is why traditional investments such as gold and bank deposits hold such charm for Indian investors. But there are many macro factors that can thwart investment plans.

Beware macro factorsWe’ve seen investors invest in debt mutual funds, believing that equities are very volatile. Yet understanding the debt market scenario is becoming more complex, with macro factors playing a big role. Remember how the RBI’s sudden actions on liquidity tightening in July 2013 caused debt mutual fund NAVs to decline sharply?

To make a decision on short-term versus long-term debt, you need to take a call on the direction of interest rates. The performance of debt funds is inversely proportional to the interest rate movements in the economy. One can also benefit from long-term income and gilt funds based on yield movement in the economy at an appropriate time.

To assess the portfolio composition of debt schemes, you have to understand credit risk. This means looking into the extent of highly rated and unrated debt instruments and the prospects of different sectors.

Asset allocationAll this suggests that investors have to broad base their knowledge to understand macro-economic factors. These indicators have to be aligned with your short-term and long-term goals for rational investment decisions.

Macro understanding is needed for asset allocation calls too, which are now made mainly based on past returns.

For proper asset allocation, monitoring economic trends and policies, trends in current account deficit (CAD), Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) and currency movements is now essential. Tracking global events like Federal Reserve announcements, currency movements and international prices of major commodities, including gold and crude oil movements, are critical too.

Sankaran Naren, Chief Investment Officer at ICICI Prudential AMC, recently pointed out that investing in equity when GDP growth and the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) growth are low have fetched a far better rate of return for investors than those made when these parameters are sailing high. On the other hand, investments in gilt funds are favourable when CAD narrows, due to its fair correlation with the interest rates prevailing in the economy.

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Government to look into abolishment of income tax exemption to charity organisations: A Report:

The government will look into abolishment of income tax exemptions given to to charity organisations in its budgetary exercise for the year 2014, according to an RTI response from the Central Board of Direct Taxes.

It also said that It could not trace files related to proposals for giving income tax exemptions to political parties on donations and fundings received by them.

"Records available with TPL division were thoroughly searched. However, no files/records relating to introduction of the referred provisions from exempting political parties from income tax on funding/donations received by/made to them could be traced," the response said.

RTI activist Subhash Agrawal had made a suggestion to the Central Board of Direct Taxes that income tax exemption for donations made to and received by NGOs (non-government organisations) for charity and other purposes should be abolished.

"Preventing revenue loss by abolishing all types of income tax exemptions in respect to NGOs, charitable institutions, political parties etc will be provide added funds to government for development purposes," he had said.

In response to his RTI application, the CBDT said, "The suggestions presented by you in regard to abolishing of income tax exemptions for charity and other purposes, the same are being taken up in the form of pre-budget memorandum in respect of the upcoming budgetary exercise for 2014."

Section 2(15) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 defines a "charitable purpose" to include relief of the poor, education, medical relief, and advancement of any other object of general public utility.

However, a public utility activity cannot be treated as "charitable" if it involves carrying out of any activity in the nature of trade, commerce or business.
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Planning Commission may not lower 12th Plan growth target: report

The Planning Commission's internal meeting on Wednesday, to be headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, may not suggest any cut in 8 per cent annual average growth target for the 12th Plan, according to a source, though the economy performed below average in the first two years of this period.

"The Planning Commission may refrain from suggesting any cut in the annual average growth target of 8 per cent in the 12th Plan during the internal meeting scheduled on Wednesday," the source said, adding that it would deliberate on the draft mid-term appraisal document for the 12th Plan.

According to the advance estimates of the Central Statistics Office (CSO), the economy is expected to grow at 4.9 per cent in 2013-14. The economy saw a 4.5 per cent growth in 2012-13 - the first year of the five-year Plan period.

As regards the current fiscal year, the economy is projected to grow at 5.5 per cent. In order to achieve annual average growth of 8 per cent in the 12th Plan period, the economy would have to expand at over 12 per cent in 2015-16 and 2016-17, which is not feasible.

Earlier, the full Planning Commission had cut the annual average growth rate of the 11th Plan to 8 per cent from targeted 9 per cent in the mid-term review of the five-year long policy.

The mid-term review of 12th Plan will be conducted sometime in the end of this year and the onus of revising the growth target will rest on the new government to be formed after general elections.

The meeting, however, will put on record the achievements and initiatives taken in the last decade, besides deliberating on the draft mid-term appraisal document for the 12th Plan.

According to sources, the aim of the meeting is to put across his message to the opposition about the UPA's efforts to improve economic situation in the country.

The term of the commission is co-terminus with the government. Thus the new government after the elections will constitute the new Planning Commission.

According to sources, the Prime Minister's Office has asked for comparative data on key economic and social indicators since 1984 so that a broad comparison of UPA's decade-long regime could be made.

Besides Deputy Chairman of the Commission Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the members of panel are B K Chaturvedi, Saumitra Chaudhuri, Syeda Hameed, Narendra Jadhav, Abhijit Sen, Mihir Shah, K Kasturirangan and Arun Maira.

Minister of State for Planning Rajeev Shukla will also attend the meeting. 

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How to avail tax benefits under Section 10 of I T Act, 1961

The Income Tax Act provides multiple tax exemptions to every individual. A lot of such exemptions fall under Section 10 of the Act. Following are the tax exemptions provided under Section 10:

Leave travel allowance (LTA)

LTA is exempt to a certain extent for domestic travel under section 10(5) of income tax. The exemption is subject to the LTA limit specified in the individual's salary.

Agricultural income

Income received from agriculture is totally exempt from tax if it is the only source of income in the financial year. However, if it is accompanied by income from other sources, it is taxable.

Life insurance

The payment proceeds of a life insurance policy are exempt under section 10(10D). This includes maturity amount as well as death claims.

Gratuity

Gratuity amount received by a government employee is totally exempt from tax. For others covered under payment of gratuity act, it is exempt to the least of the following:

1)      15 days salary based on last drawn salary for each year of service.
2)      Rs. 10,00,000
3)      Gratuity received

For those not covered under gratuity act, it is exempt to the least of:

1)      Half month average salary for each year of service completed.
2)      Rs. 10,00,000
3)      Gratuity received

Leave encashment

For a government employee, leave encashment upon retirement or leaving the job is tax free under Section 10. For a non-government employee, it is exempt up to least of the following:

1)      Earned leave (No. of months) multiplied by Average monthly salary
2)      10 multiplied by Average monthly salary
3)      Rs. 3,00,000
4)      Actual leave encashment received

Commuted pension

Commuted pension for government employees is fully exempt. For others, it is exempt to least of the following:

1)      If gratuity is received, up to one-third of the pension received.
2)      If gratuity not received, half of the pension received.

Compensation under VRS

Compensation received under VRS (voluntary retirement scheme) scheme upon voluntary retirement is exempt up to maximum of Rs. 5,00,000.

Provident fund

Payments received from Provident Fund (PF) are exempt as part of section 10. However, PF withdrawal is taxable for less than 5 years of service. Also, EPF (Employees' Provident Fund) balance can be withdrawn only subject to few conditions.

HRA

House Rent Allowance (HRA) for an employee is exempt to the least of the following:

1)      HRA received
2)      Rent paid - 10% of salary
3)      50% of salary for Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai and 40% elsewhere.

Dividends received

Dividends announced by any company in case of mutual funds or stocks are exempt from tax in the hands of an individual, irrespective of the company paying tax on it.

Equities held for more than 1 year

Any equity instrument, share or mutual fund held for more than 1 year is free from tax at the time of sale. This is also known as long term capital gains.

Superannuation fund

Any amount received from an approved superannuation fund is exempt from tax in the hands of an individual.

Transport allowance

Transport allowance is exempt up to Rs. 800 per month i.e. Rs. 9,600 per annum. Transport allowance here means expenditure incurred for travel between place of residence and place of work.

Education and hostel allowances for children

Education allowance is exempt up to Rs. 100 per month per child for a maximum of 2 children. Hostel allowance is exempt for hostel expenditure up to Rs. 300 per month per child for a maximum of 2 children.

Interest on securities

Income from securities in the form of interest, premium, etc from certificates, bonds and deposits is exempt from tax.

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Tax implications on giving or receiving gifts

Want to gift a property or life time savings to your loved ones? Or have you received a car as a gift on your birthday? Are you worried about the cash gifts received on your wedding? Enjoy giving or receiving gifts guilt-free once you are mindful of the gifting provisions in India.

As per current tax laws, if an individual receives cash or non-cash gifts from persons other than blood relatives* in excess of Rs. 50,000 in a year, the whole of such gift received will be treated as the individual's income and must be included under 'Income from other sources'. If it does not exceed Rs. 50,000, it will not be treated as income.

But not all gifts are taxed. The specific assets for which gift tax is applicable are - cash, immovable property such as land & buildings, and movable property - shares & other securities (debt, derivative F&O), jewellery and bullion, art and antics (paintings, sculptures, etc.).

Five things you should know about TDS

The concept of tax deducted at source (TDS) envisages the principle of "pay as you earn". It facilitates sharing of responsibility of tax collection between the deductor and the tax administration. It also brings in regular cash flow to the government. It acts as a powerful instrument to prevent tax evasion as well as expands the tax net.


Types of TDS certificates

Salaries - Form 16: In case of salaries, the certificate should be issued in Form 16 containing the tax computation details and the tax deducted & paid details.

Non-salaries - Form 16A: In case of non-salaries, the certificate should be issued in Form 16A containing the tax deducted & paid details. Separate certificates should be prepared for each section.

Income Tax Department will set up another CPC (Compliance Management) to boost revenue collection!

After successfully setting up two Central Processing Cell - first in Bangalore for e-filing and processing of Income Tax Returns and second in Ghaziabad for processing of e-TDS returns, I-T Department has now made a plan to set up another Central Processing Cell (Compliance Management) or CPC (CM) in short. The CPC (CM) is setting up for the purposes of collection and management of information of the cases to be classified as "non-compliance cases" and "non-filers of Income Tax Returns".

The data collected by the CPC (CM) will be used for spot verification, surveys and searches in revenue potential cases. However, the main purpose behind making these type of exercises by the department is to prepare the tax payers for proper compliance of the Income-tax rules and provisions voluntary.

The functionality of the CPC (CM) will also boost the investigation and enforcement skills of officers and officials of the department. After starting functionality of the CPC (CM), huge data of information will be available with the department to augment the revenue collection by way of sending notices, making surveys and searches etc.   
   

India Unveils Latest Direct Tax Code Proposals

Higher taxes on the wealthy and changes to the tax treatment of multinational companies feature among the proposals in the latest draft Indian Direct Taxes Code (DTC).

The Government has announced that it has accepted 153 of the 190 recommendations made in 2012 by parliament's Standing Committee on Finance (SCF). A further 61 suggestions were forwarded by the SCF at a later stage, some of which have also been accepted for incorporation in the revised Code. The Government says that it agrees with the SCF that simplicity is paramount, and that the legislation must be user friendly. It hopes to modernize all tax operations, and assure that its departments are capable of carrying out their work as assigned.

Under the Government's original DTC proposals, indirect transfers would have been taxed in India if the companies involved had at least 50 percent of their assets in the country. The Government has since concluded that this threshold is too high. According to a document available on the Income Tax Department's website, "There could be a situation [where] a company has 33.33 percent assets in three countries but it will not get taxed anywhere." The revised code accordingly provides for a 20 percent threshold. An exemption would be provided for the transfer of small shareholdings outside India.

Another major change relates to the wealth tax system. The amended code is intended to capture all assets in the wealth tax net, whether physical or financial. As the wealth tax provisions of the 2010 DTC Bill related only to unproductive assets, the Government grew concerned that the changes would substantially reduce the tax base. Under the latest plans, wealth tax would be levied on all individuals, Hindu Undivided Families (HUFs), and private discretionary trusts at a 0.25 percent rate. The threshold would stand at INR500m (USD8.35m).

General Election 2014: Income Tax Department is prepared to check on Black money flow in Polls

Similar actions, as were taken in earlier elections, are taken by the Election Commission of India to prevent the flow of black money in the present General Election of Lok Sabha-2014. For this purpose, the Commission has deputed the Investigation Wing of Income Tax Department to monitor the movement of black money across the country through any route of traffic. I-T department has been fully equipped with the skills and expertise to perform its tasks and as a result of that till date approximately Rs. 195 crores of black money has been seized by the department.

Income Tax Department has set up control room and special complaint cell for the assigned purposes and also has started a toll-free helpline number-1800110132 for urgent information and communications. Senior officers of the department have been deputed to supervise the control room and complaint cell for round the clock. 

I-T department is performing the assigned tasks on certain guidelines as a part of mechanism of the Government of India for the polls of General Election of 2014 upto 15th May 2014. So beware of black money carriers.