Norms simplified for CAs to become e-return intermediaries.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has come up with a new scheme for electronic filing of returns through e-return intermediaries.

Public sector companies, firm of chartered accountants or advocates that have been allotted a permanent account number (PAN), a chartered accountant or an advocate (individual capacity) with PAN, and Drawing or Disbursing officer (DDO) of a government department have now been categorised as e-return intermediaries.

The new scheme has simplified the norms for chartered accountants to take the role of e-return intermediaries. In the earlier September 2004 scheme of the CBDT, there were certain conditions like income criteria for CAs. All this has been done away with. We now expect more assesses to file their returns through chartered accountants functioning as e-return intermediaries, Mr G. Ramaswamy, Chairman of ICAIs fiscal laws committee, told Business Line.

The new scheme requires all e-return intermediaries to be registered with a registrar, who will be appointed by the CBDT. An e-return intermediary should have at least class II digital signature certificate from any of the certifying authorities authorised to issue such certificates by the Controller of Certifying authorities.