Don't miss the deadline of March 31, to link PAN-Aadhaar

The Department of Income Tax (I-T) issued a public message on Monday saying it was "mandatory" to link PAN (permanent account number) with Aadhaar and advised people not to "miss" the stipulated March 31 deadline.

Last month the department had said that if it is not linked to Aadhaar by this date, PAN will become "inoperative."

"It is mandatory to link your PAN and Aadhaar before March 31, 2020. You can do this via Biometric Aadhaar authentication & also by visiting the NSDL and UTITSL PAN service centers," the department said in the latest social media post.

In a video attached to the message on its Twitter handle @IncomeTaxIndia, it said that such a link is for "beneficial tomorrow."

The video described two ways to complete this task:* Send SMS in format to 567678 or 56161: UIDPAN <space>12 digit Adhaar><space>10digitPAN >

* Through e-filing portal of the department: "http://www.incometaxindiaefiling.gov.in/home"

On 30 December last year, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), which is frame policy for the I-T department, extended the deadline for this task for the eighth time.

The Supreme Court declared the flagship Aadhaar scheme of the Center constitutionally valid in September 2019 and held that the biometric ID would remain compulsory to file tax returns and allocate PAN.

Section 139 AA(2) of the Income Tax Act states that each person who has PAN as of July 1, 2017 and is eligible to obtain Aadhaar must inform tax authorities of his Aadhaar number.

Aadhaar is issued to a resident of India by the Unique Indian Identification Authority (UIDAI), and PAN is a 10-digit alphanumeric number allocated to a person, firm or entity by the I-T department.

Over 30.75 crore PANs have been linked to Aadhaar according to official data updated until January 27.

At that time, the 12-digit biometric ID had yet to link 17.58 crore PANs. The CBDT also issued a notification amending I-T rules and inserted Rule 114AAA which stipulates "the manner of making permanent account number inoperative" for those not linking the two by 31 March.

The notification said persons whose PANs become inoperative will be liable for all the consequences of not furnishing, intimating or quoting PAN under the I-T Act. For those linking PAN with Aadhaar after March 31, 2020, the I-T department had said it will "become operational from the date of Aadhaar number intimation."

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