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Your Queries

Is Family pension considered as salary?

09 September 2013 by CTAR Team

No. It is taxable under ​other sources.

Are retirement benefits such as PF and Gratuity taxable?

09 September 2013 by CTAR Team

No. They are exempt subject to conditions and limits laid down in the Income Tax Act.

Is leave encashment taxable as salary?

09 September 2013 by CTAR Team

It is taxable if received while in service. Received as retirement benefit, however it is exempt subject to certain conditions.

Life insurance amount received on maturity along with bonus – is it taxable?

09 September 2013 by CTAR Team

No.

I have got encasement of my leave from my employer. Will it be included in my salary?

09 September 2013 by CTAR Team

Yes, any amount of encasement for the period of leave not availed by an employee during his/her employment shall be included in the income from salary. However, leave encasement after retirement is exempt subject to certain conditions.

I have been trying to get my refund for a long time, and now I have been informed by my CA that refunds have been stopped. He has shown me a news item saying that refunds above Rs one lakh have been stopped. It is very disheartening. Refund amount has arisen because of excess TDS. Please advice?

03 September 2013 by CTAR Team

You may write to your Chief Commissioner of Income tax with a request to get the refund issued expeditiously.

Your Experience

I am not getting my refund

08 September 2016 by CTAR Team

I am a self-employed professional and also give camera and other equipments on hire. I claimed a refund of Rs 23,000 of TDS for the assessment year 2010-11. I went to the Income tax office and met the staff. One of the Staff members was so considerate that he opened up his computer and informed that the refund was worked out but pending at CPC because of my failure to report my bank account details in my IT Return. The staff advised me to revise my Return and mention my bank details. I am grateful and wish to point out that still there are people in Government who are doing their duties conscientiously.

Two refunds served on the given address, remaining three refunds remaining unserved, the reason: address given by the assessee was wrong.

08 September 2016 by CTAR Team

After I got two refunds out of the five refunds due, I was wondering what the reason for delay in refund was. Someone suggested I look up the internet IT site for details. I was surprised to see that the reason given was “Wrong Address”.

When two refunds could be received – where this “Wrong Address” comes in beats me.

I was a frequently transferred employee

08 September 2016 by CTAR Team

I was a frequently transferred employee, always required elsewhere. At one of the postings the ITO told me that I should ensure that the IT Department is advised every time I moved from a station. I clarified if he was wanting to be also marked a copy of the transfer orders, and he confirmed, that this was what the Dept required.

My experience with CPC, Bangalore

08 September 2016 by CTAR Team

I filed my tax return for the year 2011-12 before 31.07.2011. I am a Doctor in a Hospital getting salary. My tax was deducted at source, but somehow while uploading the TDS, in my PAN, by mistake digit 8 was put as 6. Instead of refund of Rs 16,000, I was served a demand notice to deposit Rs 4,89,000. I have approached my Assessing Officer several times. Every time he says that it is to be sorted out at CPC, Bangalore. I have written to CPC, Bangalore also, but have not got any response so far. I am so busy in the Hospital that personally I am not able to visit the Income tax office.

A visit to my Income Tax office

08 September 2016 by CTAR Team

Dear Sir, good to hear that a few former tax officers like you have come forward to help us. I am an ordinary taxpayer. Let me share with you one my experiences with the tax authority. This is not a complaint, but a lesson for my other taxpayers like me who are hesitant to approach a taxman. I did not get my tax refund dues for two years. The amount was about Rs. 27,500. I had submitted my TDS certificates, all in original. I went to a CA friend to find out what’s the problem. He checked something on the net and told me that I need to visit to the I-T office, so and so ward. Very hesitantly, I reached the income tax office and explained my problem to the person concerned. The babu sitting there was a bit rude but immediately checked out the files and told me the problem. My employer did not deposit the tax deducted from us, he said. I came back, met our accounts department people. In two months’ time, the problem was resolved. I was pleased that the I-T department sent me the refund amount directly to my bank account. The lesson here is: don’t get scared of taxmen. Visit the office yourself, find out the problem.

© 2012 Centre for Tax Awareness and Research Design and Developed by

During my 37-year-old career with Income Tax department, I moved from place to place, post to post. For me, every posting was a challenge, and at the same time an opportunity to deliver.

After my retirement as Chairman of Central Board of Direct Taxes, I was invited by various institutions and NGOs to deliver talks on tax matters. While advising taxpayers across sectors, I noticed, our vast salaried class including armed and paramilitary forces, pensioners or senior citizens, NRIs, professionals and small business establishments need the right guidance. Most taxpayers do comply with their tax obligations fully. Yet, they are not somehow relaxed and are burdened with anxieties. A large number of taxpayers are not even aware that getting tax refund on time is a basic right.

In one such meeting, a middle-aged man quizzed me why could not I give tax advice 24X7. For a moment, I had no answer. He then added that I should give tax solutions online so that he does not need to come from a remote place to attend my lecture. I thanked him for his suggestion.

For a while I was restless. Already I had got myself enrolled as a Member of the Bar Council of Delhi and as an Advocate of Delhi High Court Bar Association, thanks to my law degree from the University of Allahabad. Yet, I was not sure how I could help the vast majority of taxpayers who somehow maintain a safe distance from the taxmen. I then tossed the idea of creating a tax think-tank with some of my former colleagues and highly spirited individuals. All of us immediately agreed on one count: millions of Indian taxpayers expect to access tailor-made tax research materials and seek guidance from those who have been parts of the tax machinery for decades.

That is how CTAR was born. So, be a part of our passionate journey to explain tax laws and rules in simpler words. Just drop us a few lines on any query related to direct and indirect tax or FEMA. We are at your assistance. We also look forward to hearing your experiences while dealing with the system.