NIIT, DIT strengthen partnership to create a certified pool of TRPs

NIIT Limited, leading Global Talent Development Corporation and Asia's largest IT trainer, strengthened their partnership with the Department of Income Tax (DIT), to create a pool of trained and certified Tax Return Preparers (TRPs) across the country as part of the Tax Return Preparers Scheme (TRPS).

TRPS is an initiative by the Department of Income Tax, Government of India to increase awareness of tax laws through larger community participation, with NIIT being mandated to train and certify Tax Return Preparers (TRPs) across the country.

NIIT will utilize its nationwide network to test graduates across 110 locations, and select 5000 candidates who will undergo a rigorous training programme on Income Tax filing procedures.

The trained candidates will be referred to as 'Certified Tax Return Preparers' and will obtain an unique Identification Number from the Dept. of Income Tax, which will authorize them under Income Tax Act, 1961 to work as self-employed Tax Return Preparers.

The Tax Return Preparers are meant to file returns of individual and HUF income tax assesses as well as file TDS returns of small and medium enterprises in the lower income category. This would be the second batch of TRPs being trained by NIIT.

The cost of training will be borne by ITD and the selected candidates will not be required to pay for the training. And the scope now stands widened to include TDS & Service Tax Returns. DIT has further included TRPs as qualified e-returns intermediaries.