The income tax department feels that it will be able to stick to the deadline of July 31 for completing refunds after the success it has had in allocating Permanent Account Numbers to a record number of people despite a total strike by the group B, C and D employees in the period.
According to figures from Delhi IT circle, they have been able to allocate more than 62,000 Permanent Account Numbers to taxpayers till yesterday.
The income tax officials are now confident that with the major hassle of allocating PAN to asseses over they will also be able to take up the tracking of tax deduction at source which accounts for almost 50 per cent of direct tax collections.
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Without PAN identification tax officials say it is very difficult to track financial transactions. Besides the government has made it mandatory to quote it for preparing demand drafts above Rs 50,000 and sale and purchase of securities of above Rs one lakh.
According to the government sources they have been able to hand out PAN to all those who had applied for it by the stipulated date of June 11.
Of these 51,000 were from the salaried class while the rest were from companies and non salaried sections.
However the initiative had to contend with a sudden strike by the lower level employees from July 4 which meant the department had to acquire support from outside. Besides the officers also put in very long hours with the regional computer centre of the department running continously for 52 hours.According to government sources they have now allocated PAN to over 18 lakh assesses in the Delhi circle. They also said that the progress in computerisation of the department has worried several sections of the staff.