« Top Headlines » Open DEMAT Account in 24 hrs  Income Tax Return Filing: 10 Mistakes To Avoid When Filing ITR For AY 2024-25  Old vs New Tax Regime: Who should move to the New Tax Regime from the old one?  Income Tax Calculator FY 2023-24: How To Know Your Tax Liability Online On IT Dept's Portal?  BackBack Income Tax Act amendment on cards on tax treatment of MSME dues  ITR-1, ITR-2, ITR-4 forms for FY 2023-24 available for e-filing. Check details here  Income tax slabs FY 2024-25: Experts share these 8 benefits for taxpayers in new income tax regime  How To File ITR Online - Step by Step Guide to Efile Income Tax Return, FY 2023-24 (AY 2024-25)  Old or new tax regime for TDS on salary? This post-election 2024 event will impact your tax planning  What Are 5 Heads Of Income Tax?  Income Tax Dept releases interim action plan for FY25 on tax collection, refund approvals   Income Tax Return: 5 lesser-known tax-saving tips from Section 80 «  Impact of Budget on foreign firms... Women to gain more if investment planning is sound... » I-T's going to abolish boundaries, get faster March, 04th 2008 After ushering in e-filing, the government is now set to revolutionise processing of returns. Jurisdiction-free processing of income-tax returns could be a reality soon, with the Finance Bill authorising the government to introduce such a scheme. This would speed up the refunds process. Once the jurisdiction-free system is in place, processing of returns could be carried out at centralised designated centres instead of the respective ward where the assessee files his return. The move is aimed at expediting the processing of returns and thereby quickening the issue of refunds. The processing of returns currently takes four months to a year. This is primarily because there is no equitable distribution of the processing work. In some jurisdictions, assessing officers are saddled with 60,000-70,000 returns while in smaller jurisdictions officials have just 5,000 returns. For the purposes of processing of returns under Sub-section (1), the board may make a scheme for centralised processing of returns with a view to expeditiously determining the tax payable by, or the refund due to, the assessee as required under the said sub-section, says the new provision which is proposed to be inserted in the Finance Bill. In fact, the department is carrying out a pilot project for centralised processing in Mumbai. Information about an assessee is sent to the concerned assessing officer in his jurisdiction who then sends an advise of issue of refund to the refund banker. The refund banker issues a refund cheque based on the advise. To facilitate the launch of jurisdiction-free processing, the income-tax department is setting up a National Data Centre that is expected to start functioning soon. All records of assessees would be uploaded on the National Data Centre to facilitate zone-free processing.