Our Correspondent reports, salaried employees earning up to five lakh rupees a year, no longer need to file income tax returns from this year. The exemption from filing I-T returns is applicable only if the total income of the employee does not exceed five lakh rupees and the annual interest earned from savings bank account is less than 10,000 rupees for assessment year 2012-13.

From the current fiscal, filing I-T returns online has been made mandatory for individuals earning an annual income in excess of 10 lakh rupees. Earlier, an individual with income above 10 lakh had the choice of filing income-tax returns either online or through an auditor and chartered accountant.