Two Indian men used the same Permanent Account Number (PAN) - a code for tax identification purposes – for 11 years without the error being discovered, it has been revealed.
Although Lachhman Singh, a peon at the Akal Degree College, which is in Mastuana in the Punjab, and Laxman Singh, a soldier in Delhi, both filed their income tax returns on time during the entire period, the error by tax officials failed to come to light. It was only when 55-year-old Lachhman failed to file his taxes in 2017 that the duplication was found.
According to the Financial Express, the two men not only have similar names, but they also share a birth date and their fathers have the same name: Ram Singh.
Tax officials said they are now investigating how the mistake came about and plan to issue a new PAN to one of the men.
Incidentally, by November 2017, around 13.28 crore (130 million) PANs had been linked with the corresponding Aadhaar, the 12-digit unique identity number that is based on biometric and demographic data. The government recently extended the deadline for linking the PAN with the Aadhaar by three more months to March 31 next year – the third extension so far.
Emma Woollacott is a freelance business journalist. Her work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Guardian, the Times, Forbes and the BBC.
Two Indian men used the same Permanent Account Number (PAN) - a code for tax identification purposes – for 11 years without the error being discovered, it has been revealed.
Although Lachhman Singh, a peon at the Akal Degree College, which is in Mastuana in the Punjab, and Laxman Singh, a soldier in Delhi, both filed their income tax returns on time during the entire period, the error by tax officials failed to come to light. It was only when 55-year-old Lachhman failed to file his taxes in 2017 that the duplication was found.
According to the Financial Express, the two men not only have similar names, but they also share a birth date and their fathers have the same name: Ram Singh.
Tax officials said they are now investigating how the mistake came about and plan to issue a new PAN to one of the men.
Incidentally, by November 2017, around 13.28 crore (130 million) PANs had been linked with the corresponding Aadhaar, the 12-digit unique identity number that is based on biometric and demographic data. The government recently extended the deadline for linking the PAN with the Aadhaar by three more months to March 31 next year – the third extension so far.
Emma Woollacott is a freelance business journalist. Her work has appeared in a wide range of publications, including the Guardian, the Times, Forbes and the BBC.
