Pre-filled Returns: Infosys will not have access to Information of Income Tax Payers, says Dept [Read RTI Reply]

The Directorate of Income Tax (Systems), while answering to an RTI query in connection with the proposed pre-filled income tax returns from the year 2020, clarified that Infosys will not have access to the information of income taxpayers as a pan of Integrated e filing & centralized Processing Centre 2.0 Project.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), a few weeks ago, announced that a new Pre-filled Income Tax Return Forms for taxpayers. It was also said that the project will be implemented by Infosys will take around 18 months, in time for filing of returns in 2020.

According to the CBDT Chief, the Board is presently working on pre-filled forms which will be based on tax deducted at source details filed with the department by the employer or any other entity. “You will be getting a pre-filled return form on which we are working because your TDS is with us. So, we are moving towards that direction,” he said.

“We want to make it (processing of return form) very fast, maybe in a day or a week. That system is also under preparation and it may take a year or so. So that you get a pre-filled form, and you can justify that form is correct. We will accept it, he said. He said that only 0.5 percent of cases had been taken up for scrutiny and even these cases have been selected by the computer system. There is no discretion (in selecting income tax-related cases). Our endeavor is to curtail the discretion of tax officials,” Chandra said.

There were doubts that since Infosys is developing the software for pre-filled returns, they might have access to the information of earlier returns filed by the taxpayers.

With regard to the role of Infosys in the proposal in the technical end, the Directorate of Income Tax (Systems) has said that “Infosys is the Managed Service provider (MSP) for the execution of the CPC-ITR 2.10.oject. The company is not given any access to information of Income Tax Payers.”

The department further said that there is no Memorandum of Understanding as per the terms of the RF till now.