The income tax department has significantly reduced refund processing times over the past few years. But while some taxpayers receive refunds within days, others may wait several weeks or even longer. Here's why.
The CBI has arrested an Income Tax superintendent in Odisha, Ramesh Kumar Mohanty, for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 4,000 to delete a duplicate PAN card record. He was caught red-handed after a complaint was filed, and a case has been registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
A court in Thane acquitted a suspended Income Tax Officer and his wife in a 2007 disproportionate assets case, criticising the CBI for a flawed investigation.
A special CBI court in Thane acquitted an Income-Tax officer accused of demanding a bribe, citing lack of proof of illegal demand and contradictory evidence.
The Income Tax Department conducted searches at multiple locations in Kolkata, including the residence of TMC MLA Debashis Kumar and Miraj Shah, a proposer of Mamata Banerjee's candidature. The TMC alleges the raids are politically motivated.
A key mistake would be continuing to rely on provisions of the Income-Tax Act, 1961, where the new law now applies, and vice versa.
The Income Tax Department has released all income tax return (ITR) forms for the assessment year 2026-27, enabling individuals, businesses, and other entities to begin filing their returns for the financial year 2025-26.
An Ahmedabad court has convicted the wife of a former Income Tax Officer in a disproportionate assets case dating back nearly two decades. The husband, also an accused, died during the trial.
A 59-year-old man was arrested in Bengaluru for allegedly defrauding an Income Tax department official by posing as a 'parrot astrologer' and promising career growth and a better life through rituals.
The Income Tax department has enabled online filing for ITR-1 (Sahaj) and ITR-4 (Sugam) for the Assessment Year 2026-27, allowing small and medium taxpayers to file returns for income earned in the 2025-26 fiscal year.
A gang posing as Income Tax officials robbed a contractor's home in Dhar, Madhya Pradesh, stealing gold and cash.
A former Income Tax officer has been sentenced to six months' rigorous imprisonment by a special CBI court in Thane in a 19-year-old bribery case. The officer was convicted of taking a bribe of Rs 20,000 to finalise a tax security assessment.
The number of individuals who declared a gross income of Rs 100 crore or more in their income-tax returns had risen to 301 in 2022-23, moderated slightly to 284 in 2023-24, then climbed to 415 in 2024-25.
The number of individuals reporting a gross total income of 100 crore or more in their income tax returns has quadrupled to 576 in Assessment Year 2025-26, up from 142 in AY 2021-22, according to data shared in Parliament.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has urged income tax authorities to significantly accelerate the adjudication of taxpayer appeals.
The new Income Tax Bill, passed by Lok Sabha on Monday, has retained the provisions regarding ITR filing for TDS claims and tax exemptions for anonymous donations made to all religious-cum-charitable trusts, as in the existing tax laws. The original Income Tax Bill, which was brought in Parliament in February, had done away with this exemption and the ITR filing flexibility for claiming TDS refunds.
The Madras High Court dismissed a petition by actor Vijay challenging an Income Tax department order to pay a Rs 1.50 crore penalty for alleged non-disclosure of income during 2015-16.
'Repeated adjournments are one of the largest contributors to lengthy litigation cycles.'
'The government, if it deems fit, will incorporate the changes in the Bill, take approval from the Cabinet before moving the bill for consideration and passage in the Lok Sabha.'
rediffGURU Vipul Bhavsar answers readers' personal income tax queries
The new income tax returns (ITR) form based on the I-T Act, 2025, will be notified prior to 2027-28 fiscal year, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said on Monday. The CBDT committee on simplification of ITR forms is carrying out extensive consultations with tax experts, institutional bodies, and field formations of the I-T Department, he said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha.
The contrast with the old Income-Tax Act is stark. The 1961 law ran into 512,000 words; the 2025 one pares that down to 259,000. Chapters have been cut from 47 to 23, while sections have reduced from 819 to 536. One of the clearest changes is terminological. The confusing twin concepts of 'assessment year' and 'previous year' have been scrapped.
Taxpayers must provide more details to support deduction and exemption claims.
Over 5.9 crore Income Tax Returns (ITRs) were filed for Assessment Year 2026-27 by the July 31 deadline, according to the income tax department.
'AIS helps taxpayers check whether all income streams and reportable transactions -- such as interest from old bank accounts, small dividend receipts or transactions across multiple brokers -- have been properly disclosed.' 'Mismatches between these transactions and declared income may trigger automated notices or scrutiny.'
The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has released a 198-page guidance note to assist crypto-asset service providers in complying with reporting obligations under the Income-tax Act, 2025, aligning India with the OECD's Crypto-Asset Reporting Framework (Carf) for automatic exchange of tax information.
Central Board of Direct Taxes on Tuesday said stakeholders can send their inputs for drafting Income-tax rules and related forms pertaining to the proposed Income Tax Bill, 2025. The Income Tax Bill, 2025 was introduced in Parliament last month and is currently under examination by the Select Committee for detailed consideration.
Think again. Not filing could cost you. Here's who must file, who should, and why it matters. What's more, the deadline to file your ITR has been extended till September 15, 2025
GST Reform 2.0, which trims tax slabs from four to two, signals a push for demand-led growth, and together with recent income tax cuts, sets the stage for sustained economic growth, experts said. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council on September 3 approved an overhaul of the indirect tax regime by taxing essentials at 5 per cent and other goods at 18 per cent. A new 40 per cent tax will be applicable on luxury and sin items.
The data may include details of foreign bank accounts, investment accounts, certain financial investments, interest income, dividends and other specified financial income held by Indian tax residents abroad.
Tax collection so far has been encouraging, with net direct tax receipts reaching Rs 5.21 trillion by June 17, nearly a 15 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.
India's net direct tax collections have surged by 16.4 per cent year-on-year to 6.51 trillion as of July 13, primarily driven by robust growth in corporate tax receipts, according to provisional data from the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT).
Implications for capital gains, wealth taxes, and investment strategies require careful consideration, notes Anil Rego, founder and CEO, RightHorizons.
rediffGURU Vipul Bhavsar answers readers' personal income tax queries
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Friday constituted a 31-member Select Committee of the lower house to examine the Income Tax Bill. To be headed by Bharatiya Janata Party's Baijayant Panda, the panel is mandated to submit its report by the first day of the next session.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Income Tax Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha on Thursday and urged Speaker Om Birla to refer it to a select committee of the House. Opposition members opposed the Bill at the introduction stage but the House passed a motion by voice vote for its introduction.
The Lok Sabha has passed a Bill to amend the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, authorising the government to permit banks and service providers to levy charges on UPI and other electronic payment modes. This move aims to create a sustainable revenue model for the digital payments ecosystem, shifting from the current exemption of UPI transactions from such charges.
The Income Tax Department has clarified the applicability of TDS (Tax Deducted at Source) on interest income for banking companies under the Income Tax Act, 2025, aligning it with the Banking Regulation Act, 1949.
Individuals earning up to Rs 12 lakh annually will not have to pay any income tax under the new tax regime as Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday gave relief to middle class by raising exemption limit and rejigging slabs. For salaried employees, this nil tax limit will be Rs 12.75 lakh per annum, after taking into account a standard deduction of Rs 75,000.
The Delhi High Court has ruled that an individual cannot obtain details of their spouse's income from authorities by filing an application under the Right to Information (RTI) Act.
