• Notification Date: 16-10-2024
• Notification No: N/A

New ITR e-filing portal 3.0 to be launched soon - Tax authorities seek public suggestions

Income tax e-filing The ITR portal is set to be revamped with "significant" changes to make it more user-friendly.  

According to sources, the tax authorities' internal circular dated October 8, 2024, states: The new project, Project IEC 3.0 (replacing the existing IEC 2.0 project), has already been launched.  

How will the new e-filing ITR portal IEC 3.0 help taxpayers?   

According to the said internal circular, the tax authorities have stated that the IEC project will provide an e-filing platform that will enable taxpayers to electronically file ITRs, file statutory forms, and avail various other services. The Centralized Processing Centres (CPCs) are an important part of the IEC project as they process the ITRs filed through the filing e-portal and ITBA.  

"Furthermore, the IEC provides a Back Office Portal (BO) through which field staff can access taxpayer return and processing data," an internal circular from the Income Tax Department stated.  

"Project IEC 3.0 aims to ensure continuity of services provided by Project IEC 2.0 as well as introduce a significantly improved system to ensure a secure and user-friendly environment," the tax authorities' internal circular states.  

Suggestions from the public ahead of the launch of the new ITR E-Filing 3.0 portal   

The Income Tax Department, in its internal circular mentioned above, has stated that Project IEC 3.0 will have a far-reaching impact on the operations of the department as well as on taxpayers and the public in the coming years. Hence, the tax authorities should seek suggestions and feedback from users of the ITR portal and other stakeholders to make the IEC 3.0 project more taxpayer-friendly.  

"It would be advisable to conduct extensive consultations with various users/stakeholders of the IEC project to obtain their opinions, views, and suggestions regarding the good points/shortcomings of the existing IEC 2.0 project and the actual improvements made in IEC 3.0," the tax department's internal circular stated.  

The Income Tax Department has announced that a committee headed by at least an officer of CIT rank will be constituted within a week of its order dated October 8, 2024. The committee will be responsible for collecting feedback, ideas, and suggestions from divisional staff in each region, tax professionals, taxpayers, and other stakeholders. The Income Tax Department has invited the committee's response to be submitted by November 30, 2024, through email.