ITRV is issued as an acknowledgement to returns filed online."This is to ensure that there are no grievances with regard to non-receipt of ITRV at CPC. Even if the document is not received at CPC, the taxpayer will have a documentary proof to show that he has sent his ITRV through post to the CPC," the official told PTI.

As part of facilitating better taxpayer services, the I-T department has now changed the procedure and has disallowed sending the paper statements through ordinary post or to a designated post box number.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) recently said that it was further simplifying the e-filing systems as it was encouraged by the increasing number of taxpayers taking the online route.

The e-filing of returns this financial year saw a jump of 40 per cent as compared to the returns filed during the corresponding period last year.

"We are trying to further simplify the e-filing procedures. Let us see what all can we do. We are progressing very fast on this issue," CBDT Chairman R K Tewari had told reporters recently.

E-filing is catching up even amongst those people who are not stipulated to file their returns online, Mr Tewari had said.

The per cent composition of such taxpayers was close to 66 per cent, he had said.

In order to weed out the hassle of sending by post a hard copy of e-filed return, the Income Tax Department is also planning to bring in the facility of electronic signatures for taxpayers to endorse their bonafides.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex office to formulate policies for the Income Tax Department, is preparing to implement the new mechanism by the end of the next financial year in March, 2015.

Official sources said the CBDT will get in touch with the Ministry of Law , and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, to establish the legal position and technology requirements, respectively, before it operationalises the new protocols for the e-returns.

In case of digital signatures (used by corporate entities as of now), a bonafide statement that verifies the identity of the sender is required to be created by paying a fee and this requires regular renewal, which is why this is being seen as a burden on salaried class and other categories of small taxpayers.

As per the norms in force at present, a taxpayer who files an e-return has to mandatorily send a copy of the same by post to the I-T department's Central Processing Centre (CPC) in Bengaluru.

However, in many cases the post would not reach the CPC and hence the tax department categorised the taxpayers return as null and void.

The department, sources said, wants to promote e-filing of I-T returns and it desires that e-filing should be "hassle free and sans any glitches", which will prompt more number of people to file their tax returns by this way.

PTI