Mumbai, Aug 16
The Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) has urged the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to extend the September 15 deadline for filing income tax returns (ITRs) and tax audit reports for Assessment Year (AY) 2025-26, citing delays in the release of ITR utilities and technical issues on the tax portal.
The practical challenges faced by taxpayers, chartered accountants, and other stakeholders in meeting the current timelines were emphasised by the GCCI in its recent representation.
GCCI contended that the late availability of return filing utilities more than made up for the government's extension of the ITR filing deadline for those exempt from audit from July 31 to September 15.
To give assessees sufficient time to comply, income tax utilities are typically made available in April. However, according to GCCI, the release has been delayed by an average of three months this year, and as of the first week of August, several forms were still pending.