A Simple Solution for Indians’ Tax Filing Woes

Mumbai, India- July 13, 2005- After railway bookings, banking and stock trades, India’s upcoming generation has deployed computerized systems even in managing serpentine temple entry queues. Similar attempts to make income tax filing convenient for India’s millions of citizens suffered until now due to the complexities of the task. Not anymore as a lucid, sleek, step-by-step, do-it-yourself guide is now made available for the first time to India’s vast number of citizens spread over huge territories.

This development can ease the process of income tax return preparation, whether on a computer or on paper, giving one back the complete control on the activity that he or she would seek, affirms representatives of Celerity Consultants, Mumbai, the book’s publishers. J. Srinivas who lives in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh State agrees. With this self-help, he has unearthed a grave error he has been committing for the last 4 years in spite of a local consultant.

India’s tax filing deadline is at end of July except for large businesses. Employers have by now handed over tax deduction certificates to a total of almost 40 millions of its employee tax payers. Citizens do not worry much for the salary income, although stories of gross employer’s mistakes also abound. Life becomes difficult when it comes to dealing with property income and transactions, investment trades and income for most. Citizens also need to be mindful of a plethora of available benefits having different names- exemptions, deductions, rebates and reliefs- each having distinct prescribed preconditions.

Non-compliance can be significant as procedures and provisions are complicated even after substantial attempts at simplification in recent years. Citizens consider this activity to have no pay off, has complicated reasoning, the potential to do oneself harm through oversight and involves filling a boring form without any feeling of being in control. Competent advice to guide one in fully taking advantage of Internet websites and desktop software is sadly lacking in large parts of India’s vast territories as is evident from Srinivas’ example.

‘How to File Your Income Tax Return with Due Attention and Care’ by Shiv N. Majumdar, a Chartered Accountant in Mumbai, offers an easy remedy for this situation. The book is in the nature of a Personal Manual, and is targeted to people who are laymen but have decided to take control of their income tax management. The law has now become simple, but the process still requires some care. It is however within the easy grasp of every citizen, if one can spare a little time and attention. Divided in three parts, Majumdar’s book offers an absolute and easy guide in layman’s language towards offering readers with an insight into the considerations that must go into preparing their own returns. This can mean much for sections of population who suffer due to being unaware or to inappropriate understanding.

The book will enable a reader to choose and read only the things relevant for him while at the same time ensuring that nothing applicable is missed. It has a section on general considerations including how one can simplify one’s tax return over a period. It also answers frequently occurring questions about income tax in a separate section on Doubts and Queries. The checklist on preparing to file one’s return and the step-by-step guidance makes the entire chore a breeze. The book does not cover any income from a business or profession as that would involve accounting and more complicated treatment.

‘How to File Your Income Tax Return with Due Attention and Care’ makes one realise that filing one’s own income tax return is just like driving a car. It only requires some attention but is certainly not unduly difficult. The focus is on the largest group of salary earners and to keep it simple for them.

The eBook is kept at http://file-return.info/ . The printed book is available at all leading bookstores. You can also contact Celerity Consultants, Mumbai (91-22-2547 5908) for free home delivery in Mumbai.