Income Tax (I-T) refunds should be paid immediately after assessment of the taxpayer is over and without delay, I-T Ombudsman for Kolkata K K Mahapatra today said.

"Refunds should be given soon once the assessment is over and should happen in normal course," Mahapatra said at an interaction at the Merchants' Chamber here.

Stating that the office of the ombudsman gets numerous grievances over delay in IT refunds, he said although it should happen fast, the Central Processing Centre in Bangalore was hamstrung by processing claims.

"Any assessing officer should make refunds as soon a fund is created for the purpose," he said.

Mahapatra said the IT Ombudsman's office functioned under a set of guidelines and not statutes.

"Since we operate under a set of guidelines, it gives us the flexibility in several matters", he said.

However, Mahapatra said his office had asked the Central Board of Direct Taxes ( CBDT) and the finance ministry to reframe the guidelines to give empowerment.

The I-T Ombudsman said 80 per cent of the refund awards given by the Ombudsman were complied with by the assessing officer and the balance 20 per cent was intractable.

He also said any assessing officer not complying the Ombudsman's order in making genuine refund claims might get into career problems which might vary from a reflection in Annual Confidential (rpt) Confidential Report ( ACR) or place of posting.