« Top Headlines » Open DEMAT Account in 24 hrs  ITR filing 2026: Who must file by August 31? Tax department explains  Delhi HC Rules GST Registration Cannot Be Cancelled Retrospectively Without a Clear Show Cause Notice (SCN)  Belated income tax return AY 2026-27: How to file, late filing charges and what you may lose  Major Financial Changes from August 1, 2026: ITR Deadline, RBI MPC Meeting, Tatkal Ticket Rules & More  Government proposes to ease tax relief conditions for offshore funds  TallyPrime Connected Banking: Automating Banking and Accounting  ITR Filing Deadline 2026: Is July 31 the Last Date to File Your Income Tax Return? Latest Official Update  ITR filing deadline nears: How to file income tax return online on e-filing portal - quick 15-step guide  Will the ITR Filing Deadline Be Extended Beyond July 31 for FY 2025-26? Here's the Latest Update for Taxpayers  Income Tax Refund Delayed for AY 2026-27? 5 Common Reasons Your Refund May Be Stuck and How to Fix It  ITR Filing 2026: FM Nirmala Sitharaman Asks Tax Officials to Let Honest Taxpayers Correct Genuine Mistakes «  Designing and fabrication abroad not taxable: SC... PwC suggests gradual shift to unified GST... » I-T dept hot on trail of tax dodgers June, 07th 2007 Tax evaders should brace themselves for tough times as the department plans to intensify scrutiny of I-T returns. The aggressive mood of the taxman is evident by the fact that 294 warrants have been executed in the first month of the fiscal, a 170% jump over the same period of the previous year. The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) is planning set a target for field formations for carrying out scrutiny. Every assistant commissioner will be asked to scrutinise 20 cases in a year. This is the core function of the department that helps in realising higher revenues, hence the increased focus, a government source said. At present, only 2% of the returns are scrutinised and officials do not have fixed targets. Scrutiny is now attracting more attention as it helps the department unearth concealed income. It may be noted the Parliamentary Standing Committee on finance had asked the CBDT to intensify scrutiny. The tax department now uses details of transactions revealed in the annual information returns in carrying out scrutiny. The data on high-value purchases such as plasma TVs could also be used during scrutiny to match income and expenditure of individuals with their tax returns. Scrutiny procedures could be made more stringent to improve the quality. With the department facing acute shortage of manpower, concern has been expressed about the quality of scrutiny. The scrutiny for the assessment year 2005-06 has to be completed by December 31, 2007. Similarly, there seems to be increased focus on searches and seizures. The aggressive mood of the department can be adjudged with the total amount of seizures in the first month of the fiscal at Rs 33.09 crore. This is against Rs 23.52-crore seizures in April 2006.