E-assessment of all scrutiny cases, sans search

The tax department had issued instructions  for the current financial year asking some of the field offices with limited internet bandwidth to conduct only 10% of the scrutiny with e-assessment, in cases where the deadline is expiring on March 31. The Central Board of Direct Taxes will issue a list of such stations shortly, it added.

As part of its drive to speed up assessments and cut down on face-to-face interface between officers and taxpayers, the government is moving to electronic assessment as part of scrutiny of a limited number of returns that are taken up.

The instructions issued said that in case of enquiries before assessment, notices have to be issued electronically and need to be posted in the e-filing account. Assessees have been advised that online submissions have to be made within office hours by the stipulated date. Also mentioned by the CBDT that the facility for online submission of documents will automatically close a week before the deadline in cases which are time barred.