Tax Information Network

On behalf of the Income Tax Department, the National Securities Depository Limited (NSDL) established Tax Information Network (TIN). This is a source of the countrywide tax related data.  The basic idea behind establishing TIN was to modernise collection, processing, monitoring and accounting of direct taxes using information technology. TIN has three subsystems viz. ERACS, OLTAS and CPLGS.

Electronic Return Acceptance and Consolidation System (ERACS)

ERACS consists of a system for interface with the taxpayers (TIN Facilitation Centres that is TIN-FC) and an internet supported system for upload of electronic returns of Tax Deduction at Source (TDS) and Tax Collection at Source (TCS) and Annual Information Return (AIR) to the central system of TIN.

Online Tax Accounting System (OLTAS)

OLTAS is used for upload to the central system the details of tax deposited in numerous tax collecting branches across the country every day.

Central PAN Ledger Generation System (CPLGS)

It is the central system that merges the details of TDS/TCS and advance tax into the PAN.

e-TDS & e-TCS

TDS refers to Tax Deduction at Source. The third parties deduct tax at source and then deposits it at pre-determined bank branches. Since 2004–2005, it has been made mandatory to file TDS returns electronically for both the operators, the Government as well as corporate sector. Further, the Income Tax Act, 1961 states that when tax is collected at source by the seller from the buyer, it is named TCS (Tax Collected at Source). Under the scheme named ‘Electronic Filing of Returns of Tax Collected at Source Scheme, 2005’, the corporate and Government deductors have to pay electronically or physically to NSDL.