Infosys CEO and MD Salil Parekh on Monday met Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman after being summoned over the glitches on New Income Tax portal. The much-touted Income Tax portal has been continuously flagged over technical issues, even after two and half months of its launch. In the meeting, FM Sitharaman gave Salil Parekh a deadline of September 15 to resolve all the issues.

Sitharaman took a meeting with Infosys MD & CEO Salil Parekh on yesterday afternoon to convey the deep disappointment and concerns of the Government and the taxpayers about the continuing glitches in the e-filing portal of the Income Tax Department even after two and half months since its launch, which was also delayed, Sitharaman sought an explanation from Infosys for the repeated issues faced by taxpayers.

“The Finance Minister demanded that the issues faced by taxpayers on current functionalities of the portal should be resolved by the team by 15 September, 2021 so that taxpayers and professionals can work seamlessly on the portal,” an official communique after the meeting said, adding that Ms. Sitharaman also sought an explanation from Infosys on the mess.
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The portal however had a bumpy start as it continued to face tech glitches included profile updation and changing passwords. Taking note of the grievance voiced on social media by taxpayers, tax professionals, and other stakeholders, the Finance Minister had earlier flagged the issues to Infosys, calling upon them to address these concerns. Meanwhile, Nandan Nilekani, the non-executive chairperson of Infosys, has also been in touch with Sitharaman regarding the issue.

PHDCCI Chair Direct Tax Committee Mukul Bagla said India has around 7 crore persons or entities who file their income tax returns. Due to glitches in the income tax portal, their day-to-day functioning has been adversely affected since June 7. 

Taxpayers are unable to download documents filed earlier with the income tax department or file their income tax returns for ay 2021-22 if they opt for new rates u/s 115BAC. The assessee is not able to file returns pursuant to notice u/s 148, 148, file reply to penalty proceedings etc. Many other important tax functions have been affected, he said.