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As per Section 139 of the Income Tax Act, 1956 Individuals whose annual income is in excess of the basic exemption limit of Rs 2.5 lakh must mandatorily file their income tax returns. Even when there is no tax liability, an income tax return (ITR) must be filed if the total income exceeds the above-mentioned threshold. ‘Income tax return’ is a form in which taxpayers declare details of income, deductions, exemptions, and taxes payable on their taxable income. Filing income tax return is mandatory to claim tax deductions under Section 80C, 80D, etc. and other eligible exemptions like long-term capital gains exemptions, which may eventually bring your taxable income to zero. Filing ITR offers the following benefits: – 1. Filing ITR avoids penalties Effective from FY 2017-18, the Income Tax Department levies a penalty of Rs 10,000 under section 234F on individuals who do not file their income tax return. Filing ITR on time avoids unnecessary penalties. The penalty has been kept at Rs 1,000 if your annual income is not more than Rs 5 lakh, as a law-abiding citizen, it is your duty to file your tax returns. 2. ITR receipt is a very important document You need to preserve ITR receipts carefully as they are very important proof of your income and of payment of your taxes. It is much more detailed than Form 16. It contains your total income details and has details of your income from other sources. 3. ITR receipt is a useful document for hassle-free processing of bank loans Most banks and NBFCs ask for ITR receipts of the latest three years when you apply for high-value loans like home and car loans. Lenders consider ITR as the most authentic document supporting an individual’s income. Hence, you should regularly file income tax return if you are planning to avail home or car loans in the future. 4. Visa processing Embassies of developed countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia ask for ITR receipts of the past years to process your visa application. They are very particular about your tax compliance and hence, you are asked to furnish past ITR receipts. This helps them assess your income and ensure that you are able to take care of the expenses on your trip. 5. Compensate losses in the next financial year Individuals cannot carry forward losses of the current financial year to the next financial year until an ITR is filed. As per the income tax law, individuals are not allowed to carry forward losses and set them off against future years’ income if the ITR is not filed within the due date. Hence, it is important to file your income tax return on time in order to claim the losses in future years. Filing ITR on time is beneficial in many ways while keeping you tax-compliant. The e-filing season has begun for the Financial Year 2022-23 and the due date is 31st July 2023. Be a responsible citizen and file your taxes early to avoid last-minute issues.

The functionality to check the status of bank account details update for the taxpayers who have taken new registration at GST Portal but have not yet furnished the same has been introduced, in view of Rule 10A of the CGST Rules 2017. Such taxpayers are required to update their Bank Account Details within 45 days of the first login henceforth. The taxpayers may log in to the GST portal and update Bank Account details through the Non-core amendment tab in the manner specified below. Procedure to update bank details – In case the taxpayers who had not updated their bank account after registration and are also failed to update within 45 days of their first login henceforth, the system will prompt and force them to comply with the requirements. After completion of the Bank Account update, a success message will appear on the screen, and the acknowledgement will be sent to the registered email and mobile phone.

India – European Free Trade Association signed a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) today i.e. on 10th March 2024. India has been working on a Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) with EFTA countries comprising Switzerland, Iceland, Norway & Liechtenstein. The Union Cabinet chaired by the Hon’ble Prime Minister has approved signing of the TEPA with EFTA States. EFTA is an inter-governmental organization set up in 1960 for the promotion of free trade and economic integration for the benefit of its four Member States. Speaking on the occasion, Shri Piyush Goyal, Minister of Commerce and Industry, Food and Consumer Affairs and Textiles said: “TEPA is a modern and ambitious Trade Agreement. For the first time, India is signing FTA with four developed nations – an important economic bloc in Europe. For the first time in history of FTAs, binding commitment of $100 bn investment  and 1 million direct jobs in the next 15 years has been given. The agreement will give a boost to Make in India and provide opportunities to young & talented workforce. The FTA will provide a window to Indian exporters to access large European and global markets.” The agreement comprises of 14 chapters with main focus on market access related to goods, rules of origin, trade facilitation, trade remedies, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade, investment promotion, market access on services, intellectual property rights, trade and sustainable development and other legal and horizontal provisions. EFTA is an important regional group, with several growing opportunities for enhancing international trade in goods and services. EFTA is one important economic block out of the three (other two – EU &UK) in Europe. Among EFTA countries, Switzerland is the largest trading partner of India followed by Norway. The highlights of the agreement are: Source: PIB