New Delhi: SBI Research in a report has advocated for quicker review of the Income Tax Act as announced in Budget 2024-25.The report recommended that the revised Act be introduced as a money bill so that it can be passed within stipulated 75 days. 

This will not only simplify and streamline taxation process but also aligned with economic growth and inclusivity.The report recommended raising the TDS threshold on bank interest payments from Rs 10,000 to at least Rs 100,000. 

Allowing annual issuance of TDS certificates (Form 16A) instead of quarterly, aligning it with Form 16 for salaries, since Form 26AS is primarily used for credit and a flat tax rate for individuals earning over Rs 8 lakhs, specifically for those aged 60 to 80, with additional provisions for individuals aged 80 and above.

Earlier this month, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has formed an internal committee to oversee a comprehensive review of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (Act), as was announced in the Union Budget 2024-25 by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. The goal is to make the Act concise, clear, and easy to understand, which will reduce disputes, and litigation, and provide greater tax certainty to taxpayers.

The committee invites public inputs and suggestions in four areas — simplification of the Act; reducing litigation; streamlining compliance; and removal of redundant/obsolete provisions.In SBI Research’s view, this approach is aimed at addressing the practical challenges faced by taxpayers, accountants, and legal professionals, ensuring that their real-world experiences help shape the reforms.

“So, all the stakeholders should participate in evolving tax legislation, which will govern them in future,” SBI Research urged. Further, the SBI Research report authored by SBI’s Group Chief Economic Adviser Soumya Kanti Ghosh said with an increasing alignment with a progressive taxation regime, the contribution of direct taxes to total tax revenue reached 56.7 per cent in the assessment year 2024 (54.6 per cent in 2023), the highest in 14 years. 

The growth rate of Personal income tax (PIT) collections has been surging faster than Corporate tax collections since 2020-21, with PIT increasing by 6 per cent against CIT’s 3 per cent growth.”Direct taxes to GDP ratio inched up to 6.64 % in AY24, highest since 2000-01, vindicating the results of improving tax compliance,” said the report.ITRs filed during 2024 witnessed a phenomenal jump, standing at 8.6 crore (against 7.3 crore in 2022). 

A total of 6.89 crore or 79 per cent of these returns were filed on or before the due date. SBI Research believes the total number of ITRs filing for 2025 could swell to more than 9 crore by the end of March 2025. States such as Maharashtra, Delhi, Gujarat and Karnataka, which have been traditional leaders in income tax base are nearing saturation in ITR filing while UP, Bihar, AP, Punjab and Rajasthan are gaining share in incremental growth of filers. 

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So far this tax season, the IRS has received more than 100 million income tax returns for 2022.

That means tens of millions of households have yet to file their returns. If yours is among them, here are some last-minute tax-filing tips to keep in mind as the Tuesday, April 18 deadline approaches.

Not everyone has to file on April 18: If you live in a federally declared disaster area, have a business there — or have relevant tax documents stored by businesses in that area — it’s likely the IRS has already extended the filing and payment deadlines for you. Here is where you can find the specific extension dates for each disaster area.

Thanks to many rounds of extreme weather in recent months, for instance, tax filers in most of California — which accounts for 10% to 15% of all federal filers — have already been granted an extension until Oct. 16 to file and to pay, according to an IRS spokesperson.

If you’re in the armed forces and are currently or were recently stationed in a combat zone, the filing and payment deadlines for your 2022 taxes are most likely extended by 180 days. But your specific extended filing and payment deadlines will depend on the day you leave (or left) the combat zone. This IRS publication offers more detail.

Lastly, if you made little to no money last year (typically less than $12,950 for single filers and $25,900 for married couples), you may not be required to file a return. But you may want to anyway if you think you are eligible for a refund thanks to, for instance, refundable tax credits such as the Earned Income Tax Credit. (Use this IRS tool to gauge whether you are required to file this year.) You also are likely eligible to use IRS Free File (intended for those with adjusted gross income of $73,000 or less) so it won’t cost you to submit a return.

Your paycheck may not be your only source of income: If you had one full-time job you may think that is the only income you made and have to report. But that’s not necessarily so.

Other potentially taxable and reportable income sources include:

Organize your tax documents: By now you should have received every tax document that third parties are required to send you (your employer, bank, brokerage, etc.).

If you don’t recall receiving a hard copy of a tax form in the mail, check your email and your online accounts — a document may have been sent to you electronically.

Here are some of the tax forms you may have received:

“Be aware that there’s no form for some taxable income, like proceeds from renting out your vacation property, meaning you’re responsible for reporting it on your own,” according to the Illinois CPA Society.

One very last-minute way to reduce your 2022 tax bill: If you’re eligible to make a tax-deductible contribution to an IRA and haven’t done so for last year, you have until April 18 to contribute up to $6,000 ($7,000 if you’re 50 or older). That will reduce your tax bill and augment your retirement savings.

Proofread your return before submitting it: Do this whether you’re using tax software or working with a professional tax preparer.

Little mistakes and oversights delay the processing of your return (and the issuance of your refund if you’re owed one). You want to avoid things like having a typo in your name, birth date, Social Security number or direct deposit number; choosing the wrong filing status (e.g., married vs single); making a simple math error; or leaving a required field blank.

What to do if you can’t file by April 18: If you’re not able to file by next Tuesday, fill out Form 4868 electronically or on paper and send it in by April 18. You will be granted an automatic six-month extension to file.

Note, however, that an extension to file is not an extension to pay. You will be charged interest (currently running at 7%) and a penalty on any amount you still owe for 2022 but haven’t paid by April 18.

So if you suspect you still owe tax — perhaps you had some income outside of your job for which tax wasn’t withheld or you had a big capital gain last year — approximate how much more you owe and send that money to the IRS by Tuesday.

You can choose to do so by mail, attaching a check to your extension request form. Make sure your envelope is postmarked no later than April 18.

Or the more efficient route is pay what you owe electronically at IRS.gov, said CPA Damien Martin, a tax partner at EY. If you do that, the IRS notes you will not have to file a Form 4868. “The IRS will automatically process an extension of time to file,” the agency notes in its instructions.

If you opt to electronically pay directly from your bank account, which is free, select “extension” and then “tax year 2022” when given the option.

You can also pay by credit or debit card, but you will be charged a processing fee. Doing so, though, may become much more costly than just a fee if you charge your tax payment but don’t pay your credit card bill off in full every month, since you likely pay a high interest rate on outstanding balances.

If you still owe income taxes to your state, remember that you may need to go through a similar exercise of filing for an extension and making a payment to your state’s revenue department, Martin said.

Use this interactive tax assistant for basic questions you may have: The IRS provides an “interactive tax assistant” that can help you answer more than 50 basic questions pertaining to your individual circumstance on income, deductions, credits and other technical questions.