'Rs 5,000 fee to CA to file ITR is too much': Viral tweet leaves internet divided

While some X users said having a CA to file the ITR saves a 'lot of time and effort', others said ITR filing has been automated a lot in the recent years, which made CAs' work a lot less tedious

Updated Aug 2, 2023 4:09 PM IST

'Rs 5,000 fee to CA to file ITR is too much': Viral tweet leaves internet divided

SUMMARY

Some X users said having a CA to file the ITR saves a 'lot of time and effort'
Others said ITR filing has been automated a lot in the recent years, which made CAs' work a lot less tedious
'India is the land for freebies. Services are never valued properly here,' lamented an X user

With the deadline for filing income tax return for FY23 fast approaching, chartered accountants are in demand. However, X (formerly Twitter) is abuzz with tales of people reluctant to pay CAs their fair due. One such tweet that went viral is about a CA's friend who thought Rs 5,000 is a lot to pay a CA for a one-hour job.

"A friend has salary income of 30L+ & ESOPs, crypto tax, tuition fee etc. Referred him to a practising CA for his ITR who quoted Rs 5,000. "He'll just take 1 hr. ₹5,000 is too much"," " tweeted Kanan Bahl to his over 54,000 followers.

Bahl further said the CA takes one hour to file ITR because he studied six years in CA and has been practising since four years.

"It takes him 1 hr now but he has spent 6 yrs in CA, 4 yrs in practice to do this in 1 hr. Saying that it's too much for 1 hr, is not right," Bahl further tweeted.

On top of that, there are many provisions which one might not know and end up paying penalties for.
— CA Kanan Bahl (@BahlKanan) July 30, 2023

This tweet has instantly set the proverbial cat among the pigeons. Many X users said having a CA to file the ITR saves a "lot of time and effort".

My CA brother charged 5k for a return where the person had Rs. 34 lakh crypto profit (in one year) plus other sources of income.
The client told him that the charges are exorbitant and nothing greater than Rs. 500-700 should be charged!
— Ricky Gupta (@finriseinvest) July 30, 2023

5k seems reasonable.

Instead of making it transactional, it's very valuable to have a trusted CA advise you over a period so (s)he becomes aware of your financial history. There are a lot of instances when CA advice saves you headache and money later on.

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— Puneet Tanwar (@puneettanwar) July 30, 2023

I have paid 8K for the same and not even once felt that CA has asked too much
— Tajinder Singh (@TXingh) July 30, 2023

It’s only 5k once a year, not every month like some gst filing
— گریش Girish Mallya (@girishmallya) July 31, 2023

5k is cheap/reasonable fee.. in my opinion....I wonder why people dnt wanna pay to CA.....5k is too less for peace of mind...
— NikJ (@reachnikhiljain) July 30, 2023

5000₹ is too less for this type of itr pic.twitter.com/hoeungToxy
— satyam mishra (@satyammishraraj) July 30, 2023

"I pay a lot more than Rs 5,000 without a fuss," said another X user.

I pay a lot more than that without a fuss.
— Fersos Daruwala (@goldchest4) July 30, 2023

"India is the land for freebies. Services are never valued properly here," lamented an X user.

India is the land for freebies. Services are never valued properly here. As an IT professional I have struggled to have people pay for my knowledge in India. The same knowledge is worth insanely high out of India. I’m literally doing what I did in India in Malaysia but getting…
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— Vilakshan Jakhu (@vjakhu) July 31, 2023

"He will go and pay a doc the same thing but he does not understand that CAs are also doctors for tax," quipped another Twitter user.

He will go and pay a doc the same thing but he does not understand that CAs are also doctors for tax :)
— Akshay Shah - Founder CEO, iWebTechno (@AkshayiWeb) July 31, 2023

However, some X users also said that Rs 5,000 is a lot considering the automation that has been incorporated in ITR filing in the past few years.

In today's automation system, with use of multiple tools, 5000 is quite a lot.

It doesn't matter whether CA made it in one attempt or you count it as per hour value, it should be taken up as a service per unit with all the data and info provided. CA has to just consult and…
— Amol Patil (@amol_patil) July 30, 2023

5000 is definitely too much, my CA did the same in 2000 and I also had a property sale transaction. What is too much and too less is a function of where the market is.
— RAHUL KOLHE (@robinhoodmumbai) July 30, 2023

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Looking at the comments, Bahl said, "That's why I chose to work in a B2B arrangement with people who have cracked B2C space."

The comments will tell you why building a B2C brand in India is tough.

That's why I chose to work in a B2B arrangement with people who have cracked B2C space. https://t.co/US88ko3Tsd
— CA Kanan Bahl (@BahlKanan) July 30, 2023

More than 6.5 crore income tax returns for 2022-23 fiscal have been filed so far, with 36.91 lakh ITRs being submitted on Monday until 1800 hrs, which is the last day for filing of returns by individuals and entities that are not required to get their accounts audited.

The e-filing portal has witnessed more than 1.78 crore successful logins till 6 pm, the I-T department said.

''More than 6.50 crore ITRs have been filed so far (31st July), out of which about 36.91 lakh ITRs have been filed today till 6 pm!'' the tweet said.

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The last date for ITR filing by salaried persons and entities which are not required to get their accounts audited ends Monday at midnight.

Last year, about 5.83 crore income tax returns were filed till July 31.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

J Jagannath

Passionate about all the happenings in the realms of geopolitics, world economy and stock markets. Have spent over 12 years covering news in Mumbai, Bengaluru and Delhi-NCR. For arbitrary musings about indie music, literary fiction and world cinema.

Published on: Jul 31, 2023 10:06 PM IST

'Rs 5,000 fee to CA to file ITR is too much': Viral tweet leaves internet divided

While some X users said having a CA to file the ITR saves a 'lot of time and effort', others said ITR filing has been automated a lot in the recent years, which made CAs' work a lot less tedious

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