Under the Faceless Income Tax Assessment Regime, all communication to assesses would be via electronic channels and only 10 PAN numbers can be linked to a mobile number or email, and so auditors should immediately update their contact details, an expert said.
The faceless assessment system, which came into effect from August 13, uses data analytics and artificial intelligence and does away with territorial jurisdiction.
The assessment cases are randomly assigned in an automated way. An assessment officer from Delhi can be assigned to look at assessment cases originating from Chennai. “All the pending cases before August 13, for which the orders have not been issued will come under the purview of the faceless tax assessment system,” said Abhishek Murali, secretary, the Southern India Regional Council, The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
Under the earlier regime, the assessee or his auditor would receive notices from the I-T Department in the physical form. However, under the new regime, communication would be only through email, mobile number or through an app (which was under development).
Mr. Abhishek pointed out that most auditors would have given their email and contact numbers on behalf of their clients. “Only 10 PAN numbers can be linked to an email id or mobile number. Keeping this in mind and since the communication is going to be only through electronic channels, it is important for auditors to update the contact details under the new faceless regime. Otherwise, they face the risk of missing communication from the I-T Department and other consequences,” he said.
