IT Department issues guidelines to make e- communication easy

New Delhi Feb 5 (KNN):  The government has allowed tax payers to reply to notices using their registered email address to ease communication with the Income-Tax department.

The Income-Tax Department has issued detailed guidelines for using electronic communication, or emails, for paperless assessment proceedings.

As per the guidelines, the department will primarily issue notices or other communication through the email address provided by the assesse or the one available in the last income-tax return furnished.

In case of a company, its email address as available on the website of Ministry of Corporate Affairs or the one made available by the firm will be the primary address.

The assessee may furnish a letter to the Assessing Officer (AO) providing any other email address for the purpose of issuing email.

"Any email, in response to the notice issued by the AO, received from the primary email address of the assessee shall be considered as a valid response to the notice," the guidelines said.

The guidelines will apply in respect of select non-corporate assessees as part of the pilot project on paperless assessment proceedings and can be extended to other assessees or proceedings as may be notified by the Board subsequently. (KNN Bureau)