NEW DELHI: The Central Board of Direct Taxes has said number of individuals filing income tax returns jumped to 2.79 crore this year from 2.23 crore, an increase of 56 lakh as stated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech. 

The apex direct taxes body said there is no inconsistency in the data given out by the government. The statement comes after doubts were raised in some quarters over the data given out by government at different points in time. 

"It is clarified that there is no inconsistency in the data provided by the Government in the statements referred to above as these are in different contexts and for different time periods," a CBDT statement said on Friday. 

"The Prime Minister's speech (on August 15) referred to the increase in number of e-filed Personal Income Tax Returns (ITRs) filed from April 1, 2017 to August 5, 2017 over the ITRs filed in corresponding period of earlier years. 

"The data maintained by the Income Tax Department shows that during April 1, 2017 to August 5, 2017, 2.79 crore ereturns of individual taxpayers were received as against 2.23 crore e-returns received during April 1, 2016 to August 5, 2016. Thus, the additional ITRs received in 2017 works out to be 56 lakh," CBDT said in a statement. 

In 2015, 2 crore e-returns were received. This meant that 23 lakh additional tax payers filed returns in 2016. A top finance ministry official said the people are trying to find fault where none lies. 

"The CBDT had in a press statement on August 7 released the very same numbers and what the Prime Minister said in his independence day speech was exactly in line with that," he said. 

On the data in the Economic Survey Vol.2 released on August 12, mentioning of 5.4 lakh new taxpayers, the statement said on page-22 of the report it is clearly stated that the numbers are for the period November 8, 2016 to March 2017 and corresponding periods of last two financial years. 

"Moreover, the growth in the number of taxpayers discussed in the Economic Survey is based on the number of new taxpayers assuming the previous year’s growth rate as the reference growth rate. On the other hand, the growth of Individual return-filers referred to in PM’s speech is with respect to new as well as old taxpayers," it said. 

The reply to unstarred question No. 2017 in Rajya Sabha on August 01, 2017 mentioned that during 09.11.2016 to 31.03.2017 the number of income tax returns filed was 1.96 crore as against 1.63 crore filed during the corresponding period of last financial year (2015-16), implying that additional returns filed during this period were 33 lakh. 

On Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's May 17 statement on number of taxpayers, the CBDT said: "The addition of 91 lakh taxpayers to the tax-base referred to the total number of new returns filed during the entire financial year 2016-17 and therefore, it is neither comparable to the data in Prime Minister’s speech nor with the data in Economic Survey (different period and different type of taxpayers)." 

It added that the number of tax filers is likely to "rise significantly" above the 2.79 crore returns e-filed as "many more taxpayers are still to file their returns.