The government has collected a penalty of Rs 600 crore for delays in linking PAN and Aadhaar, according to official sources.
The government has amassed more than Rs 600 crore in penalties for delays in linking PAN with Aadhaar. Additionally, as of the latest update, approximately 11.48 crore Permanent Account Numbers (PANs) are yet to be linked with biometric identity,
according to information provided to Parliament on Monday.
As of January 29, 2024, the number of PANs that remain unlinked with Aadhaar, excluding exempted categories, stands at 11.48 crore, as stated by Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary in a written response to the Lok Sabha.
In response to an inquiry about the revenue generated by the government from the late penalty of Rs 1,000 imposed on individuals who failed to link their PAN and Aadhaar after the deadline of June 30, 2023, Chaudhary mentioned that the total fee collection from such individuals amounts to Rs 601.97 crore from July 1, 2023, to January 31, 2024.
The deadline for linking PAN with biometric Aadhaar was June 30, 2023.
The Income Tax department had announced that the PAN of taxpayers who did not provide their Aadhaar details would be rendered inoperative from July 1, 2023. No refunds would be issued against such PANs, and higher rates of TDS and TCS would be applied. To reactivate the PAN, individuals could pay a late fee of Rs 1,000.