Fact Check: Due date for filing I-T returns has not been extended
The Income Tax department has advised the taxpayers to file their returns for the financial year 2024 -25 before the July 31, 2024 deadline. The department issued a statement stating that over
Claim :
The due date for filing Income Tax returns has been extendedFact :
The due date for ITR submission has not been extended, the image shows an advisory of the Press Registrar General of India
The Income Tax department has advised the taxpayers to file their returns for the financial year 2024 -25 before the July 31, 2024 deadline. The department issued a statement stating that over 6.5 crore ITRs for AY 2024-25 have already been filed as of July 30th. The number of ITRs filed per day exceeded 45 lakh on July 30 and is expected to rise exponentially on July 31, which is the due date for many taxpayers. The government did not extend the deadline like last year. However, there is a lot of speculation about the deadline being extended on social media as the users are facing problems with the login on the website.
Amidst this, social media users, especially X and WhatsApp users, are sharing an advisory claiming that it shows the deadline of the Income Tax returns filing has been extended to August 31, 2024. Some users shared the advisory signed by Ranjith Chandan, Deputy Press Registrar General, with the caption “ITR date extend now”.
Some users shared the same advisory with the text in Hindi: “ITR भरने की अंतिम तिथि बढ़ाई
Fact check:
The claim is False. The deadline for Income Tax Returns has not been extended.
When we observed the advisory in circulation, we found that it was released by the Press Registrar General of India and not the Income Tax Department in India.
Taking this cue, when we searched the PRGI website, we found the viral advisory on their website.
The Press Registrar General of India is a portal where newspapers and periodicals can be registered under the PRP Act 2023. It compiles and analyses annual statements submitted by publishers. These statements form the basis of the annual report ‘Press of India’ published by them, which offers a comprehensive snapshot of the country’s print media landscape.
We also found another advisory that has been previously published on PRGI inviting the filing of annual statements by the publishers of print media. It states “It is hereby informed that the e-filing of Annual Statements through Press Sewa Portal for the Financial Year 2023-24 commences w.e.f. 03.05.2024. Therefore, publishers whose periodicals are registered with PRGI (formerly RNI) are advised to file the annual statement online through the Press Sewa Portal.”
We also found that this claim has been debunked by PIB fact-check. The X post by PIB states: “An advisory of Office of Press Registrar General of India shared on social media is being misconstrued as an extension of due date for filing ITR #PIBFactCheck The advisory is NOT related to the extension of date of filing ITR. The due date for filing ITR is 31 July 2024”
This post was also shared by X account of Income Tax India.
Therefore, the image in circulation is not the Income Tax Department advisory of extension of date for e-filing of ITR. It is an advisory published by the Press Registrar General of India about the extension of the deadline for submission of annual reports of publishers. The claim is False.
