Taxpayers in the national capital region (NCR) can soon expect hassle-free dealing while filing returns, getting refunds and a host of other services from the Income Tax department at the newly unveiled and the largest I-T office located here.

The centrally air-conditioned and spacious 'Pratyaksh Kar Bhavan' (direct taxes building) near Delhi's popular market centre Connaught Place will cater to more than two-thirds of the total taxpayer base of the NCR, with offices for salaried, non-corporate and exemptions taxpayers in the 28-storey building.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had inaugurated the 52,000 square metre office building on May 30.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes ( CBDT) has purchased the office space in the Civic centre, which also houses the headquarters of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), at a whopping cost of Rs 1,800 crore and is touted as the largest office of the department in the country.

"The building will house eight Chief Commissioners and twenty-six Commissioners of the department. It will also accommodate about 2,300 I-T personnel. The building will begin functioning in the next fortnight after the inauguration of a single window office," a senior I-T official said.

All the offices have been computerised and will have Internet connectivity with other tax offices for easy and quick processes while dealing with taxpayers.

The new office is expected to witness a huge footfall as the I-T will soon begin vacating its premises at Mayur Bhawan on Barakhamba road and Central Revenue building on ITO chowk, thronged by numerous taxpayers.

For the benefit of the taxpayers, large waiting lounges, cafeterias, banks, ATMs and a post office branch will also be operationalised here, the official said, adding that with the inauguration of a new Aaykar Sewa Kendra (I-T help office) soon, the office will begin to function fully.

The new office, next to the New Delhi Metro station, has separate flanks for service areas and a dedicated car parking for 1,110 vehicles for I-T department's use.

The swanky interiors of the building have been created and designed by a Malaysian firm and taxpayers can perform a host of tasks like tax filing, getting receipt of refunds and other services.

Delhi is the second largest collector of direct taxes in the country for the I-T after Mumbai and the acute shortage of office space has been troubling it for quite some time.

At present, the I-T department in Delhi functions from 15 buildings located at various places and with the setting up of the new office in the Civic centre, some of the buildings that have been declared unsafe by the MCD will be vacated, the official said.