Forget the tax consultants. By answering a simple set of questions on the Internet, you can now calculate your income-tax returns.
The income-tax department today released a software named Sampark 2003-04 to allow all assesses who do not have any income from business or profession to calculate their returns.
However, returns will still have to be filed on paper with the department. Tax officials said an advanced software to allow electronic filing of returns was expected in August.
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In a release, the department has said the software is part of its taxpayer facilitation scheme. The scheme was announced by Finance Minister Jaswant Singh in the Budget for 2003-04. The ministry has postponed the last date for filing of income-tax returns to September 30.
The ministry has also amended the Income-Tax Act to allow the filing of returns electronically.
Under Sampark, assesses will now have the option of either calculating returns using a simple question and answer format, or they can download the entire software and prepare their returns offline. Sampark is available on the website www.incometaxindia.gov.in.
In case of any difficulty in downloading, the department can be contacted through e-mail at Dit@Nda.vsnl.net.in.