The government has deferred the introduction of a Unique Transaction Number (UTN) for filing of income tax returns by assessees whose tax is deducted at source (TDS). Accordingly, assessees, including salaried employees, can now file their returns for the assessment year 2009-10 without quoting the proposed transaction number.

In a statement, the Central Board of Direct Taxes held an earlier notification in abeyance. It said: Taxpayers filing their returns for the assessment year 2009-10 or any other earlier assessment year, may continue to file their returns without mentioning the Unique Transaction Number (UTN).

The CBDT in its earlier notification said UTN would be mandatory for filing returns as, owing to some lacunae, some individuals were having more than one permanent account number (PAN).

The Income-Tax Department had asked individual assessees whose tax is deducted or collected at source (TDS/TCS) to quote the UTN. It pointed out that the UTN would be provided by the National Securities Depository Ltd. (NSDL) for TCS and TDA, and individual assessees could get the numbers from the deductors. It had also asked the NDSL to communicate on the progress in this regard by June 30.