Changes you must keep in mind while filing IT return

July 17, 2014

New Delhi, Jul 17: The government has introduced several changes in the process of filing Income Tax returns to ensure increased compliance, disclosure and transparency.

As the July 31 deadline for submitting income tax returns gets closer, we analyse the key changes and provides a detailed guide to make your filing easier.

Although the tax rates and slabs for the assessment year 2014-15 or financial year 2013-14 remain the same as they were in the previous year, a rebate of Rs.2,000 is offered to resident individual if his/her total income is upto Rs.500,000 after the standard deductions.

The rebate is provided under Section 87A. The assessment year is always one year ahead of the financial year.

A surcharge of 10 percent on the income above Rs.1 crore is levied for the assessment year 2014-15. The income tax department has added a new column for this surcharge.

Another major change is related to discontinuation of refunds through cheques.

You must provide details of bank account to get refunds, if any. The IT department has decided to discontinue payment of refunds through cheques and it will be done only through electronic clearance service (ECS).

"You must carefully mention your bank account details. Blanks, all zeros, special characters, etc. are not allowed," said Surendra Pareek, partner, tax, KPMG in India.
Pareek said prior to logging in to the e-filing website, contact details like mobile number and e-mail address need to be updated for all taxpayers filing returns electronically.

However, non-residents and foreign taxpayers need to update only their e-mail addresses.

It has become mandatory for all those people whose taxable income exceed Rs.5 lakh to file the returns electronically. This was made mandatory from the assessment year 2013-14.

There are two ways of filing the return online. You can either file your return online by going to the income tax department website incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in or through the government authorised e-return intermediary.

Filing of return through the department's website is free of cost, while e-return intermediaries charge a fee of around Rs.250 to Rs.1,500, depending on the kind of services.

Ankur Sharma, co-founder and chief executive officer of TaxSpanner.com, a leading e-return intermediary, said that with a view to providing more transparent services, the IT department has decided to limit the number of returns which can be e-filed using a single email id at four.

"The income tax department may increase this number a bit, but the idea of connecting directly with the taxpayer is very welcome," said Sharma, adding that the use of only taxpayer's email ID in electronic filing of returns would ensure that he/she remain in control of data.

The process has become easier for Non-Resident Indian (NRI) assessees. Now, the Central Processing Centre (CPC), Bangalore, will auto process income tax returns of NRIs. Earlier there used to be manual verification.

In addition to the Excel software, the income tax return can also be filed using Java from this year.

Java software allows pre-filling of data into the ITR forms based on information available in the Permanent Account Number (PAN) database and Form 26AS.

The new utility also supports direct uploading of the Income Tax Return (ITR) form to the Income Tax department. Direct upload facility is not available in the Excel utility.

The e-filing website allows free download of Java and Excel utilities to fill in the ITR forms. The utilities are available at the income tax department website:

incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in. Some private players also offer this software.

Referring to an income tax department guideline, Pareek said taxpayers should be careful in selecting the software and should avoid unauthorised Mobile Apps which are available for preparation and filing of the ITRs.

Most of the stakeholders and analysts IANS spoke to expressed hope that the number of electronic filing of returns is estimated to jump by almost 40 percent this year.

According to data available with the income tax department, 2,799,055 income tax returns were filed electronically in the first three months of the current fiscal.

In the financial year 2013-14, a total 29,681,794 returns were filed online.

Easier processes and mandatory limit of online filing to income above Rs.5 lakh is likely to boost e-filing.

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PM Modi, King Abdullah II share 8-point vision to deepen India-Jordan ties

News Network

December 16,2025

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday held talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in Amman, during which the two leaders discussed ways to further strengthen bilateral relations, with the Prime Minister outlining an eight-point vision covering key areas of cooperation.

Describing the meeting as “productive”, PM Modi said he shared a roadmap focused on trade and economy, fertilisers and agriculture, information technology, healthcare, infrastructure, critical and strategic minerals, civil nuclear cooperation, and people-to-people ties.

In a post on social media platform X, the Prime Minister praised King Abdullah II’s personal commitment to advancing India–Jordan relations, particularly as both countries mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year.

“Held productive discussions with His Majesty King Abdullah II in Amman. His personal commitment towards vibrant India-Jordan relations is noteworthy. This year, we are celebrating the 75th anniversary of our bilateral diplomatic relations,” PM Modi said.

The meeting took place at the Al Husseiniya Palace, where the two leaders also exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), both sides agreed to further deepen cooperation in areas including trade and investment, defence and security, counter-terrorism and de-radicalisation, fertilisers and agriculture, infrastructure, renewable energy, tourism, and heritage.

The MEA said both leaders reaffirmed their united stand against terrorism.

PM Modi arrived in Amman earlier on Monday and was received by Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan, who accorded him a formal welcome. Following the talks, King Abdullah II hosted a banquet dinner in honour of the Prime Minister, reflecting the warmth of bilateral ties.

Jordan is the first leg of PM Modi’s three-nation tour. From Amman, the Prime Minister will travel to Ethiopia at the invitation of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali, marking his first official visit to the African nation. The tour will conclude with a visit to Oman.

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‘Pay the worker before his sweat dries’: Madras High Court cites Prophet Muhammad’s teaching while ordering settlement of dues

News Network

December 21,2025

Invoking the teachings of Prophet Muhammad—“pay the worker before his sweat dries”—the Madras High Court has directed a municipal corporation to settle long-pending legal dues owed to a former counsel. The court observed that this principle reflects basic fairness and applies equally to labour and service-related disputes.

Justice G. R. Swaminathan made the observation while hearing a petition filed by advocate P. Thirumalai, who claimed that the Madurai City Municipal Corporation failed to pay him legal fees amounting to ₹13.05 lakh. Earlier, the High Court had asked the corporation to consider his representation. However, a later order rejected a major portion of his claim, prompting the present petition.

The court allowed Thirumalai to approach the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) and submit a list of cases in which he had appeared. It also directed the corporation to settle the verified fee bills within two months, without interest. The court noted that the petitioner had waited nearly 18 years before challenging the non-payment and that the corporation could not be fully blamed, as the fee bills were not submitted properly.

‘A Matter of Embarrassment’

Justice Swaminathan described it as a “matter of embarrassment” that the State has nearly a dozen Additional Advocate Generals. He observed that appointing too many law officers often leads to unnecessary allocation of work and frequent adjournments, as government counsel claim that senior officers are engaged elsewhere.

He expressed hope that such practices would end at least in the Madurai Bench of the High Court and added that Additional Advocate Generals should “turn a new leaf” from 2026 onwards.

‘Scandalously High Amounts’

While stating that the court cannot examine the exact fees paid to senior counsel or law officers, Justice Swaminathan stressed that good governance requires public funds to be used prudently. He expressed concern over the “scandalously high amounts” paid by government and quasi-government bodies to a few favoured law officers.

In contrast, the court noted that Thirumalai’s total claim was “a pittance” considering the large number of cases he had handled.

Background

Thirumalai served as the standing counsel for the Madurai City Municipal Corporation for more than 14 years, from 1992 to 2006. During this period, he represented the corporation in about 818 cases before the Madurai District Courts.

As the former counsel was unable to hire a clerk to obtain certified copies of judgments in all 818 cases, the court directed the District Legal Services Authority to collect the certified copies within two months. The court further ordered the corporation to bear the cost incurred by the DLSA and deduct that amount from the final settlement payable to the petitioner.

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