ITAT e-filing to go live on 21 June
The Income Tax Appellate Tribunal (ITAT) is set to open its e-filing facility for appeals on 21 June in Delhi and extend it to other zonal headquarters and benches within one month, making communication between the tribunal and the disputing parties easier.
ITAT said in an announcement that the facility has been extensively tested in-house and by certain external users and has been found to be satisfactory. This facility is expected help in quick communication to parties about their appeals, fixation for hearing, adjournments, pronouncements and disposals. These details would be sent to the mobile phone as well as the email account of the appellants and respondents. Tribunal orders will also be sent to their emails. Tax payers and assessing officers or any other person entitled to file appeals, can use the facility.
However, there are some limitations at present to the extent of flexibility online appeal filing will offer. It is only seen as an additional facility, not a replacement of physical filing of documents. “As of now, presentation of physical appeal is mandatory even after e-filing. After e-filing of an appeal, physical documents along with all enclosures shall be presented before the tribunal within the time limit prescribed..," ITAT said in a list of FAQs released on its website.
Appeal filers would need their Permanent Account Number (PAN) or Tax Deduction Account Number (TAN), e-mail account and mobile number.
Also, there is no option for online payment of the tribunal fee in e-filing system. One can only enter the details of the appeal fee paid, in the e-filing portal.
The date on which physical appeal along with all documents are presented before the tribunal will be treated as the date of filing of the appeal for statutory purposes.
In the next phase of the e-filing project, ITAT intends to designate specific benches as paperless. It already hears cases using videoconferencing facility.
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