New Delhi, Jul 23 (IANS): In a major relief to the taxpayers, the government has extended the deadline for filing income tax return (ITR) for the financial year 2018-19 by a month to August 31, 2019.

"In this regard, the Central Board of Direct Taxes, in exercise of its powers conferred under Section 119 of the Income Tax Act, 1961, hereby extends the due date as prescribed under Section 139 (1) of the Act for filing of income tax returns from 31st July, 2019, to 31st August, 2019, in case of all taxpayers who are liable to file their income tax returns by the said due date," a Finance Ministry order said.

The decision came in the wake of many taxpayers facing difficulty in filing their ITRs for various reasons, including extension of the due date for the issuance of Form 16 for the assessment year 2019-20.

Many chartered accountants and tax professionals had also appealed to the government to extend the return filing deadline.