The Client

The Income Tax Department, India, is the promoter of compliance with Indian direct tax laws, through caring taxpayer service and strict enforcement, leading to realization of maximum resources for the Nation.

The Project

In the year 2000, the Income Tax Department undertook a conscious decision for redesigning business processes through leveraging upon Information Technology, with increased control, streamlined processes, cost savings, knowledge management, information dissemination and citizen orientation as the main objectives. As part of the redesigning process, the Department wanted a reliable partner to design a centralized portal which brought the various Department websites provided for 28 states and 7 union territories under a single umbrella. Quintegra provided the expertise for the Department in developing and implementing an optimal portal solution. Quintegra’s roles during the successful expedition of the project included:

	Requirements gathering and analysis
	Study of existing Departmental websites
	Design of the solution in accordance with the Department’s needs
	Design of interfaces with other systems
	Creation of a proof of concept prototype
	Detailed development through iterative model
	Implementation and rollout
	Continuous maintenance and enhancement

Today, the portal (www.incometaxindia.gov.in) provides a single-window access to all of the Department’s functions for tax payers. The portal provides various online forms for payment of different types of direct taxes and also provides features for online payment. The portal also caters to PAN (Permanent Account Number) and TAN (Tax Deduction and Collection Account Number), two of the most mandatory details required for payment of taxes, by interfacing with other organizations such as NSDL and UTITSL for online application and status check.

The portal also provides information on tax laws and rules, help desk support for computation of tax and eServices such as Electronic Furnishing of Return of Income. The workflow of the solution also allows non-technical staff of the Department to easily update information within the portal. The development methodology used also supports the expected growth in features of the site.

Value Created

	Consolidated the Department’s disparate websites into a single-access portal
	Enhanced productivity through standard formats
	Enabled the Department to comply with the Right to Information Act 2005, an Indian Act that mandates all government departments to empower the citizens by providing access to departmental information
	Increased the transparency and speed of the Department's business processes, operations and administration
	Reduced 20 – 30% in total cost of operations through self-service by citizens
	Reduced paperwork
	Enhanced service levels
	Implemented a highly scalable solution to accommodate the Department’s expansion plans
	Compressed the development time of the project through an iterative software development model
	Established a professional, technical and management approach to operations
	Seamless integration with other systems
	Accelerated implementation without compromise on quality
	Improved information access and decision making
	Enhanced knowledge management and information dissemination
	Best practices and methodologies adopted helped build a mutually beneficial relationship