New Delhi, Sept. 20 (PTI): The income tax (I-T) department has decided to issue notices via emails to which assessees can respond electronically.

The move will eliminate the need for physical interaction with the taxman, which often leads to complaints about harassment.

The Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the apex policy-making body of the I-T department, is working on a mechanism to send e-notices.

"We have been thinking of how to make life easier for taxpayers, especially for those who are in the middle and slightly higher tax bracket. So, now we are thinking of allowing a taxpayer to send the department an e-response when a notice is issued in an assessment or scrutiny case.

"We are trying to resolve some security issues in this regard after which it can be implemented," CBDT chairperson Anita Kapur said.

Explaining the procedure, Kapur said if a taxpayer provided the department with a bonafide email address in his income tax return (ITR), the board would be able to send him an e-notice and not a paper document dispatched through post.

"The taxpayer can respond through email. If we have more queries, we will give you another notice through the electronic medium so that both the assessing officer and the taxpayer remain in an e-environment. During the final hearing, when the assessing officer wants to close the matter, the taxpayer may have to come once to the office," the CBDT chief said.

"The taxpayer can send documents through email, scan them, upload them and it's over," she said.

"It (scrutiny session) should be over and should not go beyond that. This is the way we are trying to address the issues of compliance and limiting the interface between the taxman and the taxpayer. This will be a sea change in our tax administration," Kapur said.

Tax experts say the initiative will also ensure the privacy of a taxpayers' communication with his assessing officer and the tax department.

Kapur said she was aware of instances where taxpayers complained about the assessing officer raising numerous queries upon meeting the assessees despite their earlier order sheets having mentioned only a few queries.

She added that the number of cases landing for scrutiny had gone down over the years after the introduction of technology in the administration of taxes.