It's THAT time of the year -- tax season. After several rounds of information hunts spanning a few weeks between the accountant and me, we finally had my tax return prepared on the penultimate day of filing.
The accountant declared that I needed to pay self-assessed tax. No problem, I replied, I've seen the option on Netbanking, and dutifully logged in. Within a matter of minutes the whopping sum had been debited from my account, an email confirming the same had been forwarded to the accountant and I put my feet up.
Then the phone rang. It was the accountant again. Madam, he said, I need the challan number. Yes, yes, I replied, I've sent you the email from the bank. Of course, he had seen it and there wasn't a challan number on it. I scanned it and found that there was a 7-digit Reference Id but no challan number. Then I remembered that the LAST time I used Netbanking for paying tax, the challan number had been sent to me the NEXT day, and told him as much.
The NEXT day there was still no email from the bank, so I called Phone Banking. The CSR assured me that I could go ahead and use the Reference Id to file my return, because the challan number takes 48 hours to generate (and of course we were at the last day of filing returns already).
Another call the to the accountant. Use the Reference Id, I told him. But madam, said the accountant, the Reference Id has 7 digits and the e-tax filing system only takes 5 digits in the challan number field.
Duh?
Finally we figured that the government had received the monIES anyway and so we would go ahead and use the first 5 digits of the Reference Id in the challan number field and then update it later when we had a challan number.
Now here's my question. Why can't we just have ONE number? Of the SAME length? In the SAME format? That the bank and the tax authorities can use and understand? What value is being added in ANYBODY's life by having to track the 7 digit Reference ID which will eventually get linked to the 5 digit challan number?
Simplicity, where are you?
Update: so here's why there is no "challan number" upfront. The bank in question is not a nationalized bank and is not authorized to collect taxes in the first place (strange how they forgot to mention this on the website?). So apparently they piggy back on other nationalized banks to actually remit the money to the government. The Reference Id (all 7 digits of it) is a piece of junk as far as the government is concerned. Now waiting for the needful to happen so I can get the CHALLAN NUMBER.
The accountant declared that I needed to pay self-assessed tax. No problem, I replied, I've seen the option on Netbanking, and dutifully logged in. Within a matter of minutes the whopping sum had been debited from my account, an email confirming the same had been forwarded to the accountant and I put my feet up.
Then the phone rang. It was the accountant again. Madam, he said, I need the challan number. Yes, yes, I replied, I've sent you the email from the bank. Of course, he had seen it and there wasn't a challan number on it. I scanned it and found that there was a 7-digit Reference Id but no challan number. Then I remembered that the LAST time I used Netbanking for paying tax, the challan number had been sent to me the NEXT day, and told him as much.
The NEXT day there was still no email from the bank, so I called Phone Banking. The CSR assured me that I could go ahead and use the Reference Id to file my return, because the challan number takes 48 hours to generate (and of course we were at the last day of filing returns already).
Another call the to the accountant. Use the Reference Id, I told him. But madam, said the accountant, the Reference Id has 7 digits and the e-tax filing system only takes 5 digits in the challan number field.
Duh?
Finally we figured that the government had received the monIES anyway and so we would go ahead and use the first 5 digits of the Reference Id in the challan number field and then update it later when we had a challan number.
Now here's my question. Why can't we just have ONE number? Of the SAME length? In the SAME format? That the bank and the tax authorities can use and understand? What value is being added in ANYBODY's life by having to track the 7 digit Reference ID which will eventually get linked to the 5 digit challan number?
Simplicity, where are you?
Update: so here's why there is no "challan number" upfront. The bank in question is not a nationalized bank and is not authorized to collect taxes in the first place (strange how they forgot to mention this on the website?). So apparently they piggy back on other nationalized banks to actually remit the money to the government. The Reference Id (all 7 digits of it) is a piece of junk as far as the government is concerned. Now waiting for the needful to happen so I can get the CHALLAN NUMBER.
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