Will lot of taxpayers miss the tax audit report deadline due to this glitch on the ITR e-filing portal?
Sep 19, 2024
Synopsis
Income tax audit: September 30, 2024 is the last date to upload income tax audit report on the e-filing income tax return (ITR) portal. However since September 18, 2024 many taxpayers are unable to upload the audit report on the e-filing ITR portal. "The difficulty in uploading attachments has become a major hurdle for tax professionals, adding to the stress and anxiety of meeting the compliance deadline," says CA Deepak Chopra.
The deadline to submit the tax audit report on the e-filing ITR portal for specific taxpayers is September 30, 2024. However, with only 12 days left, the ITR e-filing portal is experiencing numerous glitches and issues when it comes to uploading tax audit reports. Several chartered accountants and tax professionals have raised concerns about this matter with ET Wealth Online and on social media, stating that they have been unable to upload the tax audit report on the e-filing ITR portal since September 18, 2024.
"With the tax audit report filing deadline of September 30, 2024, fast approaching, taxpayers and professionals are facing significant challenges due to persistent glitches on the Income Tax Department's website. As the deadline looms, the portal has been experiencing increased traffic, leading to slowdowns and technical issues that are causing widespread frustration," said CA Deepak Chopra, Chairman of the Direct Tax Committee of the Karnataka State Chartered Accountants Association (KSCAA).
What exactly is the issue that is preventing tax audit reports from being uploaded on the ITR e-filing portal?
The main concern lies with uploading the tax audit report. Chopra informed ET Wealth Online that the issue pertains to, "Audit report attachment upload issues. The portal is simply not accepting the uploaded PDF files of balance sheet, profit and loss, etc."
Anita Basrur, Partner, Sudit K. Parekh & Co. LLP told ET Wealth Online, "On September 18, 2024, the ITR portal was not operational the entire day and uploading could happen only late at night. Such snags put tremendous pressure on the tax auditor as well as the assessee."
On September 18, the portal was not operational the entire day, and uploading could only happen late at night. Such snags put tremendous pressure on the tax auditor and the assessee.
Saurin Shah on X (formerly Twitter): "Similar is the position for Tax Audit Report when tried from different browsers. Kindly see the screenshots taken at 19:26:13, 19:28:10, 19:29:39 and 19:31:17, kindly look into it and do the needful so that timely compliance can be made, please."
— SaurinShahCA (@SaurinShahCA)
CA. Ravi Agarwal on X: "Dear @IncomeTaxIndia @FinMinIndia @nsitharaman. We are facing the issue of non-uploading of attachments while filing Tax Audit Reports for the last 2-3 days. Kindly look into the matter as it is high time and not able to upload any Tax Audit Reports."
— agarwalravi009 (@agarwalravi009)
Dhiraj Pareek on X : "I am unable to upload balance sheet and p&l during 3cd 3cb uploading Json is properly uploaded. It is since 2 days Pls do needful else extend tax audit date immediately."
— pareek_drj (@pareek_drj)
"A critical issue affecting users is the portal's failure to accept attachments when uploading tax audit reports. The difficulty in uploading attachments has become a major hurdle, adding to the stress and anxiety of meeting the tax audit compliance deadline," said Chopra from KSCAA.
The ITR portal is currently sluggish, CAs report
CAs report that apart from audit report upload failure, it seems that ITR e-filing portal is sluggish to operate.
CA Chirag Chauhan, a practicing chartered accountant says, "In our office we could not upload tax audit reports on September 18, 2024 for the entire day and today as of 12.20 pm September 19, 2024 we are still unable to upload."
CA Sharan said on X: "From yesterday unable to upload PL BS pdf files in tax audit cases. unreasonably slow. itr portal problem. clearing cache etc doesn't work."
— sharan_ca (@sharan_ca)
Chopra says the ITR portal could be running slow because of increased traffic due to the tax audit deadline.
"The website's slow performance and recurring bugs have sparked concerns among taxpayers and tax professionals alike. The slowness of the portal not only frustrates users but also creates fear of delays in filing, potentially leading to penalties. As the deadline approaches, the increased traffic has only compounded the problem, leading many professionals to call for immediate solutions," says Chopra.
What experts suggest the government to do
Chopra advises taxpayers not to wait until the last minute to upload the tax audit reports, as congestion on the ITR is likely to worsen closer to the due date.
"While taxpayers must strive to complete their filings ahead of the deadline, it is equally important for the Income Tax Department to make adequate arrangements to enhance the portal's bandwidth and capacity. The ongoing technical challenges have highlighted the need for a robust digital infrastructure that can accommodate peak traffic without compromising on performance. As the due date draws near, all eyes are on the Income Tax Department to ensure a smooth and efficient filing process for taxpayers across the country," says Chopra.
"I think the problem is occurring due to inadequate infrastructure and hardware level support. The Income Tax Department should invest and upgrade their backend software and hardware to support the ITR e-filing portal," says Chauhan.
[The Economic Times]
