Union Budget 2023: PAN to be made single ID to boost ease of doing business

PAN, the Permanent Account Number, will now be used as a common identifier for all digital systems of specified government agencies, the finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced in her Budget 2023 speech as part of the government's move to ensure ease of doing business.

The FM also said that the process of acquiring a PAN and linking it with business accounts will be made easier through centralised digitisation platform.

So far online application can be made from the website of UTIITSL or Protean (formerly NSDL eGov).

The PAN is a ten-character alphanumeric identifier, issued in the form of a laminated "PAN card", by the Indian Income Tax Department, to any person who applies for it or to whom the department allots the number without an application.