The Income Tax Department's new-look tax return filing portal, developed by Infosys, again developed snags on Tuesday - a day that marked the first anniversary of its unveiling.
The portal, which was billed to make it easier for taxpayers to file returns and claim refunds, had for several weeks witnessed technical glitches after its introduction on June 7, 2021, and the snags resurfacing again prompted some to wonder if it had been hacked on the anniversary.
Many users complained that they were unable to log in into the portal, while some flagged malfunctioning of the search functionality.
In a tweet, the I-T department said: “Issue relating to the search functionality of the e-filing website has come to our notice. The Income Tax Department is seized of the matter. @Infosys has been directed to look into it & @Infosys has confirmed that they are resolving the issue on priority”.
Finance Ministry officials also assured users that there had been no data breach on the portal. In the past year, the functioning of the portal has been marred on several occasions, prompting the government to extend due date of filing tax returns and related forms for all taxpayers.
The new e-filing portal www.incometax.gov.in, unveiled on June 7 last year, has had a bumpy ride since the beginning with taxpayers and professionals reporting glitches and difficulties in its functioning. Infosys was given the contract in 2019 to develop the portal.
According to a written reply in the Lok Sabha last year, the government paid ₹164.5 crore to Infosys to build the new income tax e-filing portal between January 2019 and June 2021.
