Infosys admits it still hasn't fully fixed Indian tax portal
(2021/09/23)
- Reference: 1632383889
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/09/23/infosys_india_tax_portal_update/
- Source link:
Infosys has admitted it has missed the Indian government's deadline to fix the tax portal it built, but which has been a glitchy mess since its [1]June 2021 launch .
The portal was introduced to make filing taxes more efficient. It delivered the opposite – India's government was forced to extend filing deadlines amid user complaints that they found the portal impossible to use. The portal was even placed into "emergency maintenance" mode at one point, during which it was completely unavailable.
Infosys was [2]shamed by ministers and on August 22nd was given a September 15th deadline to fix the portal.
[3]
The Register asked Infosys and India's Department of Finance if the deadline has been met and received no reply for days.
[4]
[5]
Today Infosys has alerted us to the existence of a [6]statement dated September 23rd in which the company states "taxpayers' concerns [are] being progressively addressed" and that 30 million taxpayers have successfully completed various transactions.
But the statement also indicates that Infosys "acknowledges the difficulties some users continue to experience and is working expeditiously, in collaboration with the Income Tax Department, to further streamline end-user experience.
[7]
"Even as it makes steady progress, Infosys recognizes the ongoing challenges faced by some users and has engaged with more than 1200 taxpayers directly to better understand their concerns," the statement adds, noting that the company has "more than 750 resources" working on the project "to complete significant portions of work, in collaboration with officials from the Income Tax Department."
[8]Booming balance sheets for India's big four outsourcers after horrible quarter at home
[9]India tweaks telecoms laws to make itself an even more attractive offshoring destination
[10]Three million job cuts coming at Indian services giants by next year, says Bank of America
Next comes a patriotic flourish.
"Infosys takes pride in partnering with the Government of India and continues to work closely with various departments to accelerate the digital evolution of the country's technology capabilities."
The Register offers that quote because the tax portal and Infosys's role in it became enormously controversial thanks to an [11]article about the project, and the company, in a magazine called Panchajanya that is published by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) - a Hindu nationalist organisation aligned with India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
The article listed past domestic Infosys failures and wondered if the company might not be quite the paragon of Indian industry it has been made out to be, but rather has an agenda to destabilise the nation's economy due to its extensive offshore presence and commitments.
[12]
Panchajanya 's links to the RSS led to opposition criticism that India's government was attacking a national icon and bulwark of the economy! However, the story was widely and rightly ridiculed (it also mentioned racist conspiracy theories) and the RSS distanced itself from the article.
Panchjanya is not mouthpiece of the RSS and the said article or opinions expressed in it should not be linked with the RSS. [13]@editorvskbharat — Sunil Ambekar (@SunilAmbekarM) [14]September 5, 2021
Did Infosys chose to state its patriotic pride in today's announcement as a comment on its loyalty being called into question?
Whatever its reasons, the fact remains that the portal remains in need of so much work that more than 750 people are required to do it. And that alone means Infosys can't escape criticism.
At the time of writing, the politicians who lined up to give Infosys a kicking over the affair remain silent on social media. But individual taxpayers continue to complain. ®
Get our [15]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/15/india_etax_portal_fail/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/24/infosys_india_tax_portal_project_mess/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YUxQXQD4PDe4HPugaDCUNgAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YUxQXQD4PDe4HPugaDCUNgAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YUxQXQD4PDe4HPugaDCUNgAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.infosys.com/newsroom/press-releases/2021/further-streamlining-end-user-experience.html
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YUxQXQD4PDe4HPugaDCUNgAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/20/hcl_infosys_tcs_wipro_q1_22/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/24/india_osp_liberalisation/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/17/indian_job_cuts_boa/
[11] https://www.panchjanya.com//Encyc/2021/8/31/Infosys-reputation-and-shock.html
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YUxQXQD4PDe4HPugaDCUNgAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://twitter.com/editorvskbharat?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[14] https://twitter.com/SunilAmbekarM/status/1434429892024680448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The portal was introduced to make filing taxes more efficient. It delivered the opposite – India's government was forced to extend filing deadlines amid user complaints that they found the portal impossible to use. The portal was even placed into "emergency maintenance" mode at one point, during which it was completely unavailable.
Infosys was [2]shamed by ministers and on August 22nd was given a September 15th deadline to fix the portal.
[3]
The Register asked Infosys and India's Department of Finance if the deadline has been met and received no reply for days.
[4]
[5]
Today Infosys has alerted us to the existence of a [6]statement dated September 23rd in which the company states "taxpayers' concerns [are] being progressively addressed" and that 30 million taxpayers have successfully completed various transactions.
But the statement also indicates that Infosys "acknowledges the difficulties some users continue to experience and is working expeditiously, in collaboration with the Income Tax Department, to further streamline end-user experience.
[7]
"Even as it makes steady progress, Infosys recognizes the ongoing challenges faced by some users and has engaged with more than 1200 taxpayers directly to better understand their concerns," the statement adds, noting that the company has "more than 750 resources" working on the project "to complete significant portions of work, in collaboration with officials from the Income Tax Department."
[8]Booming balance sheets for India's big four outsourcers after horrible quarter at home
[9]India tweaks telecoms laws to make itself an even more attractive offshoring destination
[10]Three million job cuts coming at Indian services giants by next year, says Bank of America
Next comes a patriotic flourish.
"Infosys takes pride in partnering with the Government of India and continues to work closely with various departments to accelerate the digital evolution of the country's technology capabilities."
The Register offers that quote because the tax portal and Infosys's role in it became enormously controversial thanks to an [11]article about the project, and the company, in a magazine called Panchajanya that is published by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) - a Hindu nationalist organisation aligned with India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
The article listed past domestic Infosys failures and wondered if the company might not be quite the paragon of Indian industry it has been made out to be, but rather has an agenda to destabilise the nation's economy due to its extensive offshore presence and commitments.
[12]
Panchajanya 's links to the RSS led to opposition criticism that India's government was attacking a national icon and bulwark of the economy! However, the story was widely and rightly ridiculed (it also mentioned racist conspiracy theories) and the RSS distanced itself from the article.
Panchjanya is not mouthpiece of the RSS and the said article or opinions expressed in it should not be linked with the RSS. [13]@editorvskbharat — Sunil Ambekar (@SunilAmbekarM) [14]September 5, 2021
Did Infosys chose to state its patriotic pride in today's announcement as a comment on its loyalty being called into question?
Whatever its reasons, the fact remains that the portal remains in need of so much work that more than 750 people are required to do it. And that alone means Infosys can't escape criticism.
At the time of writing, the politicians who lined up to give Infosys a kicking over the affair remain silent on social media. But individual taxpayers continue to complain. ®
Get our [15]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/15/india_etax_portal_fail/
[2] https://www.theregister.com/2021/08/24/infosys_india_tax_portal_project_mess/
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YUxQXQD4PDe4HPugaDCUNgAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YUxQXQD4PDe4HPugaDCUNgAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YUxQXQD4PDe4HPugaDCUNgAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://www.infosys.com/newsroom/press-releases/2021/further-streamlining-end-user-experience.html
[7] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YUxQXQD4PDe4HPugaDCUNgAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2021/07/20/hcl_infosys_tcs_wipro_q1_22/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/24/india_osp_liberalisation/
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2021/06/17/indian_job_cuts_boa/
[11] https://www.panchjanya.com//Encyc/2021/8/31/Infosys-reputation-and-shock.html
[12] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_software/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YUxQXQD4PDe4HPugaDCUNgAAAIk&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[13] https://twitter.com/editorvskbharat?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[14] https://twitter.com/SunilAmbekarM/status/1434429892024680448?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[15] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Nope, nope, nope...
Anonymous Coward
They mean coders. Computers, managers, janitorial staff and such have actual value to them. To be specific, it means "clueless graduates who know a bit of java, have been drilled on pain of death in trotting out the company line at all times and have had a two-day cross-training session in whatever this is".
Disclaimer: I might have worked with their idiot, robotic sheep in the past and learned this the hard way.
Advantage
elsergiovolador
One advantage of the fact that our Chancellor's wife owns now reported over £600 million worth of shares in Infosys, is that it would probably be one step too far if Infosys started working on "improving" HMRC infrastructure.
Back to paper?
AMBxx
At what point does it become more efficient to revert to paper systems?
Nope, nope, nope...
They don't say that 750 People are working on it. They say 750 "resources" are working on it. A computer is a resource, The janitor is a resource, Against all evidence, Management can count as a resource. Dont be fooled into thinking that just because they say 750 resources are working on it, that that means 750 people are involved. Or at least dont be fooled into thinking that means 750 coders are working on it.
Plus any firm that would refer to workers as "resources" is giving you a very good view of just how much they value their employees. If you needed more evidence to avoid Infosys like the plague, I'd say that is one huge red flag, right there...