New Delhi: Taxpayers will have to quote new number

PTI

• Document identification to be issued by the I-T department soon

New Delhi, 29 November 2010: Taxpayers will now have to acquire yet another ’’number’’ for filing returns and making any communication with the Income Tax department. The unique document identification number (DIN), on the lines of Permanent Account Number (PAN) and Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number (TAN), will be required to be quoted on ’’every’’ income tax-related communication, including the returns to be filed next year for the financial year 2010-11.

 

According to the new guidelines brought out by the Central Board of Direct Taxes,  DIN will be mandatory “in respect of every notice, order, letter or any correspondence” with the department by taxpayers. “DIN will be generated by the I-T department and will be useful, essentially, for error-free filing of tax returns, claiming refunds and other communication with the department by the assesses,” a senior Finance Ministry official said.

 

The Aykar Sampark Kendras will hand out DIN from this month. Assessees will not be put to any trouble, as the numbers will be generated and allotted by the department itself.

 

I-T officials will also be allotted the numbers in order to streamline the process, the official said. The number has to be produced thereon for every activity with the department.

 

 

Taxpayers and tax collectors are currently required to quote PAN and TAN among others when returns are filed.  According to section 282B of the Income Tax Act, if the document sent to the tax authority does not bear this unique computer-generated number then “such document, letter or any correspondence shall be treated as invalid and shall be deemed never to have been received.”