Can Aadhaar make you a tax defaulter?

Many are finding it difficult to link their PAN to Aadhaar as their names do not match with the Aadhaar database.

 

Government's decision to make Aadhaar mandatory for filing Income Tax returns and for retaining the permanent account number (PAN) has left many with an identity crisis of sorts.

Many are finding it difficult to link their PAN to Aadhaar as their names do not match with the Aadhaar database.

That is because the Aadhaar database, unlike PAN, does not recognise special characters. For instance, someone with a D'Silva surname will not recognised by the Aadhaar database despite the PAN card carrying that name.

Similarly, someone with a name like B.S. Krishna on his PAN card will not identified by the Aadhaar database as the dots are not recognised by the system.

CAN YOU MEET THE JULY 31 DEADLINE?

In a scenario like this, people have no option but to get their names changed on other documents, a task which is time-consuming and painful.

Considering the amount of time it takes to get a document changed, it is a challenge for people to meet the July 31 deadline set by the government to get PAN linked to Aadhaar.

The inability to do so will prevent a person from filing his or her Income Tax return on time, and in turn, be labelled as a tax defaulter.

GOVERNMENT's PUSH FOR AADHAAR

Besides making Aadhaar mandatory for Income Tax filing, the government has started making the 12-digit number a pre-requisite to avail of several important services.

Mobile number: In the next few months, all mobile phone numbers, be it pre-paid or post-paid, will be linked to Aadhaar. Any number not linked to Aadhaar will be illegal after February 6, 2018.

Driving license: Aadhaar is set to be made mandatory while applying for a driving license from October. This, authorities believe, will check issuance of multiple licenses to one person.

EPF Pension: Employees Provident Fund Organistion (EPFO) has made it mandatory for its members to provide Aadhaar number to remain a beneficiary of the pension scheme.  

Railway tickets: Aadhaar is already mandatory for online ticket booking for senior citizens. Now, the Railways is planning to start an Aadhaar-based ticketing system for online booking.