Just three day left to link PAN and Aadhaar numbers

BENGALURU: With the March 31 deadline, just three days remain to link the PAN and Aadhaar numbers. The Central Board of Direct Taxes had earlier extended the deadline for linking PAN and Aadhaar several times. However, many people had not linked them due to lack of information.

The government has given an opportunity till March 31 to link PAN-Aadhaar with a fine of Rs 1,000 and the PAN card will become inoperative after April 1. If not linked, citizens will not be able to file their income tax returns.

Amidst this, people are opposing the hefty fines. Without the Aadhaar-PAN link, it will be difficult for banks to conduct transactions, so financial experts are requesting to do it within the deadline.

Economist Vijay Rajesh

Economist Vijay Rajesh said, “The government planned to link PAN with Aadhaar after the demonetisation. No one can cheat the government in getting government benefits. Only 7.5 per cent of the total population in India are paying income tax. The PAN and Aadhaar linkage is for preventing revenue leakage”.

People can go to some designated centres or else do it  themselves. It can also be done through chartered accountants or by visiting the website: www.incometax.gov.in.

Some people complained that they are still not able to link PAN and Aadhaar due to mismatch of names. So there may be a chance of extending the date with more penalties, Vijay added.