Why Tax Audit Due date may not be extended this year?

This month is Full of Tax Compliances and various due dates. This ongoing week is full of due dates and one of the due dates is for tax audit.

An income tax audit is a thorough examination of a business entity’s or professional individual’s books of accounts, such as doctors, lawyers, chartered accountants (CA), and so on. Certain taxpayers with business or professional income exceeding a certain threshold are required to undergo an income tax audit. The Income Tax Department has established a deadline for the submission of the income tax audit report. The deadline to submit the tax audit report is 30th September 2023.

Mr. Abhishek Raja Ram, a Chartered Accountant has shared his views on why tax audit Due date hasn’t been extended this year and why the same might not be extended.

His views are as follows:

1) Income Tax Department has historically not extended many due dates. The consistent refusal has made many professionals feel that vocalizing requests may be futile, leading to a sense of hopelessness. Why raise your voice if it’s going to fall on deaf ears?

2) ICAI is indeed the right body to advocate for Tax Audit date extensions. But despite past interventions, there seems to be silence now. In the past, we have also seen that the Direct Tax Committee of ICAI has requested CBDT for a date extension or Late fee relaxation, but this time it is missing. With ICAI’s advisory against the use of social media, many members may fear disciplinary repercussions.

3) Twitter’s algorithms do play a role. Often, posts asking for extensions might not gain the engagement expected. Over time, this can limit the post’s reach, discouraging those who rally for a cause. Our own fellow Professionals shy away from engaging with the post/tweet raising voice for date extension. In fact, we are trolled for raising our voices. You come back to this post after a few hours and read the comments. You will definitely understand that this post has negligible engagement and negative comments. We can’t ignore the influence of platform dynamics.

4) Among our own fraternity, there’s a stigma attached. Many view those seeking extensions as lacking competence or diligence. Advocating for a legitimate cause shouldn’t lead to being tagged “Anti-National” or losing followers. Some fellow professionals also fear that if we keep on asking extension then the responsibility to do tax audit will be shared with other professionals and we might loose our exclusiveness.

5) Another worrying trend is the politicization of professional grievances. If an individual’s plea for an extension is mass-reported by politically motivated groups, not only is their immediate reach curtailed, but they may also face long-term platform restrictions.

Given these hurdles, it’s clear why #Extend_due_date_immediately isn’t gaining traction.

However, it’s essential to differentiate between a genuine plea for more time, based on valid concerns, and perceived laziness or incompetence. We need empathy, understanding, and unity in our profession now more than ever.

I conclude this Post/Tweet on a note that while some may feel extension is necessary, others might feel it is degrading our Profession to seek extension. Both opinions are right in their circumstances. One size can’t fit all.

I welcome your views on this post/tweet but while sharing your opinion, I request that you not be personal or attack me in person, as neither I know you in your personal life nor do you know me. Social Media doesn’t reflect what the person is in his real world.

These views are shared by CA Abhishek Raja Ram on his twitter handle and He can be reached at [email protected].