The income tax department has said that more than 4 crore income tax returns (ITR) have been filed up to 22 July, 2024, which is less than 45% of all income taxpayers in the country who have filed for assessment year 2024-25. According to the IT department, this is 8% more compared to returns filed in the same period last year. The IT department announced a few key milestones crossed. As of 16 July 2024, the number of ITRs filed per day had crossed 15 lakh filings per day. It is expected to increase significantly over the next few days as nearly 50% of taxpayers are yet to file returns by 31 July, which is the last date for filing returns. After that, there will be a maximum penalty of Rs 5,000 levied for delay in filing taxes, and this has to be filed before 31 December.