Nervous at the thought of filling your income tax return on your own? Well, the process just got simpler with the unveiling of automated tax filing (ATF) machines on Wednesday. This initiative hopes to cater to the needs of those who just have to visit the nearest ATF kiosk, scan documents and the rest will be taken care of by the facilitators.

We are in final stages of talks with prominent malls and café chains. Once that's done, these machines will be installed. We intend to have in place a security guard to make the system foolproof. The company will charge Rs 250, exclusive of taxes.

Unveiling the machine, e-governance initiatives have eased many a tedious procedure. It will help people file returns at their own convenience and also reduce the carbon footprint. Technology is an enabler, the challenges are huge but in the end, it helps people.


Go to the ATF kiosk and press the 'start' button. It will ask you for three details - Name, PAN and e-mail address. Give those details and log in. Then you can insert Form 16 and other related documents. The machine will scan the documents and the papers will be returned. Then there is a checklist which allows you to tick on documents you have scanned and submitted. Next, the I-T return is prepared and sent to the provided e-mail address within 24 hours. After that you can choose to file the returns independently or go back to the kiosk and select the return file option. Kiosks are internet-enabled, so e-returns can be filed. You get an acknowledgement form thereafter from the I-T department.