New Delhi, Oct 7 (IANS): Seeking to shift completely to online mode, the Income Tax (I-T) department on Monday said it had taken up 58,322 returns for e-assessment doing away with the need for personal appearance of a taxpayer or submission of documents in hard copy.

Revenue Secretary A.B. Pandey inaugurated the National e-Assessment Centre (NeAC), saying the move was aimed at moving to faceless scrutiny and elimination of human interface.

He said that the department keeps throwing challenges to itself to make the system better.

Krishna Mohan Prasad, Pincipal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (PrCCIT) and the first head of NeAC, said that the returns chosen for assessment comprise of all categories of taxpayers.

The move has come close on the heels of the I-T department circular stating that all assessment proceedings for financial year 2018-19 would take place in electronic mode.

The department has listed out certain complicated cases where it would go for assessment in conventional way.

Under the new e-assessment system, the assessees would get notices or any communication from the tax authority through registered mail and carry a document identification number (DIN). The taxpayers would also receive SMS alert on real time basis.

The replies to the notices can be prepared at ease by the taxpayers at their own residence or office and be sent by email to the National e-Assessment Centre by uploading the same on the designated web portal.

The I-T department's e-assessment project seeks to provide better taxpayer service and reduction of taxpayer grievances.