AHMEDABAD: Even as the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) on Tuesday extended the deadline of filing tax audit reports for income tax returns by February 15 for the assessment year 2021-22, the Gujarat high court insisted that the Centre and the CBDT should attend the technical glitches being experienced at the earliest, which has resulted in delay in filing tax returns for the chartered accountants.
Chartered Accountants Association Surat had approached the high court seeking extension of deadline of filing tax audit reports till February15 on the ground that the technical glitch with I-T department’s portal might delay the filing.
They urged the HC to direct the department not to levy interest and penalty for the delay.
The bench of Justice J B Pardiwala and Justice Nisha Thakore told the CA’s association, “If the assessee has not been in a position to file his return in time on account of his inability to upload the audit report on account of technical glitches in the Portal, he can always point out all such circumstances beyond his control when he is called upon to show cause as to why penalty should not be imposed.”
The HC has sought a detailed reply from CBDT on this issue by February 8 and ordered the authorities to report to the court what progress made with regard to the technical glitches. While seeking explanation from the government, the court said, “We once again impress upon the respondent to attend to the technical glitches, which are being experienced in the portal at the earliest.
The portal is something which is within the control of the respondent and if there are any technical problems in the same, it is only the respondents, who can take care of such problems.”
