Late-night ITR extension sparks backlash – ‘Why wait till 11:48 pm for this?
After hours of uncertainty and mounting frustration, the Centre finally announced on Monday night that the deadline for filing Income Tax Returns (ITRs) for AY 2025–26 had been extended. While some taxpayers expressed relief, many were left fuming over the timing of the notice, which the Income Tax Department posted on X at 11:48 pm—barely 12 minutes before the September 15 cut-off.
In its late-night statement, the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said the filing deadline, which had earlier been shifted from July 31 to September 15, was being further extended by one day—till September 16, 2025.
The announcement drew sharp criticism online. “Is this a joke? Are we living in a democracy or autocracy? After countless appeals, granting just a one-day extension, that too minutes before the deadline, is nothing short of an insult to taxpayers!” said Rajat Agarwala.
Another user, chartered accountant Roshan Agarwal, blasted the delay: “Why wait until 11:48 pm when the portal wasn’t even functional? What joy do you get out of such last-minute decisions? Pathetic!”
Frustration also poured in over portal downtime. A user going by the name ‘Indian’ wrote: “When issuing notifications, at least be transparent. @Infosys got 2.5 hours just to update one date in the utilities, while taxpayers were left with only 21.5 hours to file millions of returns. And you have the audacity to call it 21.5 hours, as though we are machines who don’t need rest.” Another user, Ravi_Riskmgmt, lashed out at the authorities for scheduling maintenance in the middle of the crisis: “This is the Indian Income Tax system that dreams of making us the world’s third-largest economy. With a 24-hour extension announced just 12 minutes before the deadline, plus 2.5 hours of downtime from midnight to 2:30 am, the Finance Ministry has turned compliance into self-inflicted humiliation.”
