5.89 crore IT returns filed by December 31 deadline
The Hindu
Number of returns filed by last year’s deadline was 5.95 crore
Almost 5.89 crore Income Tax Returns (ITRs) had been filed by the December 31 deadline, the Finance Ministry said on Saturday, a decline of about six lakh from the previous year.
Over 46.11 lakh returns were filed on Friday alone, the ministry said after refraining from further extending the ITR filing deadline despite strong pleas from several chartered accountants struggling with the fledgling new income tax portal developed by Infosys.
In comparison, when the ITR filing deadline for Assessment Year 2020-21 was extended till January 10, 2021 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, 5.95 crore IT returns had been filed by the deadline, indicating that the number of taxpayers filing returns dipped by about 6 lakh this year. Last year, 31.05 lakh ITRs were filed on the day of the deadline.