THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: WHY YOUR TAX REFUND IS UNEXPECTEDLY DELAYED?

The primary issue is the backlog of over 580,000 cases before (appeals) commissioner

- Mayank Mohanka

Have you ever wondered why your income tax (I-T) refund has still not come, whereas your colleagues and friends have got the same? The reason could be that your current year's refund may have been adjusted against your old income tax demand, embroiled in any long-pending appeal, before the commissioner (appeals).

A big elephant is roaming in the income-tax department's brainstorming room, well noticed yet unaddressed. The issue in point is the pendency of 580,000 income tax appeals before the commissioner (appeals) for disposal. This serious problem has been highlighted by the Gujarat high court in a recent judgement in the case of 'Om Vision Infraspace Pvt. Ltd vs. ITO'.

The high court, unable to get any concrete action plan from the revenue side concerning the large pendency of appeals, has stayed the recovery of outstanding income tax demands from the respective petitioners until the pendency of their appeals. Their appeals before the commissioner (appeals) had been pending for more than five years without any fault of theirs.