"Taxpayers filing their income tax returns for assessment year 2009-10 or any other earlier AY, may continue to file their returns without mentioning the Unique Transaction Number (UTN)," the Central Board of Direct Taxes said in a statement issued on Tuesday.
Earlier the board had come out with a notification stating that the new number is mandatory for filing tax returns due to some lacunae like some individuals having more than one permanent account number (PAN).
This notification "shall be kept in abeyance for the time being", the department said. The CBDT said introducing the proposed UTN will be notified later.
The income tax department had earlier asked individual assessees whose tax is deducted or collected at source to quote the UTN.
The UTN, it said, would be given by depository National Securities Depository Ltd (NSDL) to those whose tax is deducted or collected at source and individual assessees could get the numbers from deductors.
With regard to the new number to be given by NSDL to tax officials, the taxman had asked the depository to communicate on the progress in this regard by June 30.
There was confusion among tax payers as they had not received their UTNs and had no idea if they had to mention the number on the returns filed for the current assessment year.
The tax department's move to introduce the UTN was aimed at making the process simple and in line with the department's efforts to make the filing electronic.