Govt. extends income tax audit report
deadline to Oct 7
The income tax department has extended the date for
filing the audit report for 2023-24 by 7 days till October 7. The audit report
must be filed online via the e-filing ITR portal.
This extension is significant because the penalty
for late submission is Rs. 1.5 lakh or 0.5 per cent of total sales, whichever
is lower.
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has decided to
extend the specified date for filing of various reports of audit for the
Previous Year 2023-24, which was 30th September 2024 in the case of assessees
referred in clause (a) of Explanation 2 to sub-section (1) of section 139 of
the Act, to 07th October 2024, said the Income Tax Department circular
released on Sunday.
On consideration of difficulties faced by the
taxpayers and other stakeholders in electronic filing of various reports of
audit under the provisions of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (Act), the Central Board
of Direct Taxes (CBDT), in the exercise of its powers under Section 119 of the
Act, extends the specified date of furnishing of a report of audit CBDT said.
Moore Singhi, Executive Director Rajat Mohan, told
PTI, Load of filings has been quite high on the portal in the last few days,
throwing the entire ecosystem into a frenzy. Government should either upgrade
the system to handle such a rush or stagger the timelines for tax filings.
Ankit Jain, Partner, Ved Jain & Associates, said
while the extension might not have a significant impact on the quality of audit
reports, it does provide a small window of relief for those taxpayers and
auditors who were struggling to finalise their reports by the original deadline.
This extra time could help resolve minor issues or
last-minute complications, though it is unlikely to provide substantial
benefits in terms of enhancing the overall audit process. For taxpayers who
were delayed for personal or logistical reasons, it offers some breathing room
to comply without facing penalties, Jain said.
Amit Bansal, Partner, Singhania & Co. explains
the benefits of extension to the taxpayers:
Extended time for accurate reporting: Taxpayers gain
more time to ensure the audit process is thorough, reducing the risk of errors
and penalties.
Alleviated pressure: Many taxpayers, particularly
businesses with complex finances, often struggle to meet audit deadlines. The
extension provides breathing room to complete their financial reviews without
the stress of last-minute rushes.
Enhanced accuracy and compliance: With more time,
taxpayers can focus on thoroughly reviewing their financials, reducing the risk
of errors, misreporting, or penalties due to rushed submissions.
www.business-standard.com,
dt. 01-10-2024