An Inefficient Chartered Accountant !

Yesterday, I received a call from one of my clients, alleging me INEFFICIENT !!

I am a Chartered Accountant, having a decent clientele ! (Those include some International NGOs). All my clients are satisfied with my service...... All went well till the Income Tax Department issued a circular (No. 5/2007).

Going by the spirit of the circular and the promise it made to accord priority to returns that are filed electronically, I resorted to file all my clients' annual tax returns electronically.

After all, I never suspected the promise made by the Government of India ! I made a mistake by not taking the cue from the Local Income Tax office when they refused to accept and acknowledge the ITR-V, and filed them after teaching the Local Assistant Commissioner that their department has made a leap by introducing such facility and that they have a portal and their portal accepts e-returns and provides a verification form and that ............!!!! (Note: AC insisted on a copy of circular 5/2007)

After they started to accept ITR-V, I thought all went well !!!

Now I have a new problem, REFUND !!

I innocently transferred the message by the above circular and made my clients believe that their returns will be process in priority to manually filed returns. Now I am in Problem !

All those who filed their returns manually have received their refunds. The pity is I am not even able to find out my clients' refund Status.

I called the superbly acronymed ASK to verify the refund status, they just said, ASK your AO ! When I ASKed AO, he said 'you did not file your returns here, how do you expect us to respond to you ? He was perfectly correct, wasn't he?

To an LIC Agent, who is eagerly waiting for his refunds, my explanations of circulars, government's promise of priority and 'you will be paid interest by the department' and all other explanations fell on his deaf ears. Is he not right to expect his refund when all his colleagues who filed their returns manually received theirs? He is least bothered about how his return is filed.

So where is the fault ? Is it proper to blame the Government which is run by the most efficient economists, politicians, administration etc., etc?

When I was searching for the one to be blamed, my client came to my rescue and revealed to me that I WAS INEFFICIENT !!

Finally I realised that, believing the government (knowing well who runs it !) may sometimes make you inefficient !


A. Joseph Arputharaj
Chartered Accountant
Panruti, Cuddalore District
Mobile: 9952744227