Paying income tax may now be as easy as paying your credit card or phone bill. Central Board of Direct Taxes has now enabled payment of taxes through ATMs of certain designated banks using the Online Tax Accounting System (OLTAS).

These include-- Corporation Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Union Bank of India, UCO Bank,Bank of Baroda, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Punjab and Sind Bank, Axis Bank, HDFC Bank, IndianBank, Canara Bank, Punjab National Bank, Central Bank of India and Andhra Bank. The facility covers payment of advance tax, self-assessment tax as well as tax due after regular assessment

With this the ATM will display the option of direct tax payment, on clicking which, detailslike PAN and heads of taxes will be shown. The assessment year and the amount will have to be entered on the ATM screen after which funds will be debited from the individual's account. The tax-payer will receive a printed acknowledgment as well as SMS on a successful transaction, said a press release from Chief Commissioner of Income Tax, Nagpur. A facility for issuing a tax receipt has been made at the card issuing bank too.

The tax-payers can get the facility for tax payment through a one-time registration process, which will be subject to normal process of checks to verify the person's credentials and other information submitted. Banks have been advised to automatically register their account holders by mapping their permanent account numbers and also ask the customers to indicate their choice for availing this facility while accepting application forms for ATM cards.

Tax-payers who have wrongly filled the challan forms can make correction at respective bank branches itself by filling up a correction request form. Details can be also had at the income tax website the press release said.