A Delhi man, Apoorv Jain, has found himself at the center of online outrage after sharing his experience with an Income Tax dispute. Jain claimed he paid a hefty ₹50,000 to a chartered accountant (CA) to settle the dispute, only to discover that the final disputed amount was a measly ₹1.
Jain took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to express his frustration. He shared his story on a thread discussing the intricacies of filing taxes, writing, “Paid 50000/- fee to CA for a IT notice I received recently wherein the final disputed value turned out to be Re 1/-.” He added, “I am not joking.”
Netizens reacted with disbelief and amusement. “The state of this department is such that nothing looks like a joke anymore,” one user commented. Another chimed in, “Bro, the joke is on you. Better checkout the CA who charges 50k for anything.”
However, one user understood Jain’s point, stating, “If it was Re 1 from the beginning then you should have simply paid rather than having a CA look at it.” They added, “I’m assuming it was a large amount since you involved a CA. You must specify what the amount was to begin with.”
Jain clarified that the initial notice involved “several lakhs.” He then reflected on the situation, writing, “Imagine a polka-dotted world where the system is slightly more robust, the babus slightly less corrupt, the common-man slightly less scared, and in this world I might have been able to save 50000/-”
The incident has sparked conversation about the complexities of India’s tax system and the challenges faced by taxpayers. While the IT department may issue notices for various reasons, including discrepancies in filed tax returns, undisclosed high-value transactions, or requests for documentation, the recent increase in fraudulent notices highlights the importance of verifying their authenticity through the e-filing portal before responding.
