New Delhi, July 24 (IANS) More than 7.3 crore income tax returns (ITRs) were filed for Assessment Year 2026, surpassing the number filed in the previous year, Revenue Secretary Arvind Shrivastava said on Friday.
Speaking about the ongoing reforms in the direct tax system, Shrivastava said the Income Tax Department should increasingly be viewed as a facilitator for honest taxpayers rather than merely an enforcement agency.
He stressed that the use of technology must make tax administration smarter, more efficient and less intrusive.
He said the government remains committed to greater automation, reducing human interface and ensuring faster and more seamless services for taxpayers.
Deepening and widening the faceless tax ecosystem, while providing greater tax certainty, consistency and ease of compliance, will continue to be among the department’s key priorities.
Highlighting the department’s performance during FY26, the Revenue Secretary said around 2.24 lakh tax appeals were disposed of during the year, registering a nearly 30 per cent increase over the previous year.
He added that the department also resolved nearly four lakh taxpayer grievances, achieving a disposal rate of about 95 per cent.
On revenue mobilisation, Shrivastava said both gross and net direct tax collections recorded growth of around 4-5 per cent in FY26 despite a challenging economic environment.
He also described the new Income-tax Act as a significant step towards simplifying India’s tax framework.
As part of the legislative overhaul, the number of sections has been reduced to 536 from 819, making the law easier to understand and comply with for both individual taxpayers and businesses.
According to Shrivastava, the reforms are aimed at creating a transparent, technology-driven and taxpayer-centric direct tax administration that promotes voluntary compliance while reducing the compliance burden.
–IANS
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