Section 119 direction keeps income tax field offices open for year-end filings and receipt counters availability.
An administrative direction under Section 119 directs field Income Tax Offices to remain open and keep receipt counters working during the year end closing period to facilitate filing of returns and related taxpayer work; it also mandates opening additional receipt counters where required and wide publicity, communicated to central and regional tax administration units for implementation.

Interest rates on small savings schemes confirmed for the financial year, requiring banks to notify branches and inform subscribers.
Government Office Memorandum sets and communicates the interest rates for the Public Provident Fund and the five-year Senior Citizens Savings Scheme for the financial year beginning 01.04.2014, leaving the rates unchanged from the prior year; banks operating these schemes are directed to notify branches and display the rates for subscribers in accordance with the schemes' compounding/payment provisions.

Waiver of guarantee fee requires parliamentary appropriation and prior budgetary sanction by ministries for revenue foregone.
Waiver of guarantee fee constitutes revenue foregone and must be treated as Government expenditure, recorded against the appropriate account heads; prior parliamentary appropriation is required, obtained either through the Expenditure Budget or a Supplementary Budget, before any Ministry/Department regulates waiver of guarantee fee in full or in part.

Advance Tax deadline extended to 18 March for all assessees under an administrative order by the tax board.
The Central Board of Direct Taxes ordered, under Section 119(2)(a), that the last date for payment of the March quarter installment of Advance Tax for FY 2013 14 is extended from 15 March 2014 to 18 March 2014 for all assessees, corporate and non corporate, with directions for departmental circulation and publicity.

Export of computer software tax benefits: clarification directs departmental representatives to apply CBDT circular to avoid contested appeals.
The CBDT issued a clarificatory Circular addressing application of direct tax benefits to entities exporting computer software and instructed field authorities to ensure Departmental Representatives and Standing Counsels bring the Circular to the notice of appellate authorities and courts so that matters covered by the Circular are not contested in further appeals, with the objective of avoiding frivolous litigation.

Use of black money during elections prompts deployment of income-tax investigatory units to monitor cash movements and report violations.
Income Tax investigation teams must be deployed from election notification to open district units and a 24x7 control room to gather intelligence and receive complaints on movement of undisclosed cash, keep sensitive places under surveillance (airports, stations, hotels, hawala agents, brokers, couriers, pawnbrokers), operate Air Intelligence Units to monitor cash on aircraft, act under Income Tax laws on reports of large cash movements, and report investigative outcomes to the Election Commission.

Revision of interest rates for small savings schemes: annual rates updated and to be notified effective at start of the financial year.
Revision of interest rates every financial year is instituted for central small savings schemes, to be notified before the start of each financial year; the Finance Minister approved scheme-specific rates effective from the beginning of the stated financial year, determined on the basis of the compounding or payment features of each scheme, and formal notifications will be issued separately.

Ex-post facto extension of TDS/TCS filing deadline permits government deductors with valid AIN to regularise delayed statements.
Administrative ex-post facto extension permits Government deductors mapped to a valid AIN to file TDS/TCS quarterly statements for FY 2012-13 (2nd-4th quarters) and FY 2013-14 (1st-3rd quarters) where delays arose from late allotment of AIN and consequent late BIN communication. The relief is a one-time exception to assist reconciliation and tax-credit processing; any late-fee already paid remains non refundable. Deductors must coordinate with PAO/DTO/CDDO to ensure timely BIN receipt and future compliance.

Immunity from penalty and prosecution requires true and full disclosure at the time of application, not later piecemeal disclosures.
Immunity from penalty and prosecution under Section 245H(1) may be granted only after satisfaction of statutory conditions; when independent evidence shows substantially more concealed income than disclosed in the original application, later piecemeal disclosures made during proceedings do not qualify as true and full disclosure and immunity should not be granted.

Deduction of tax at source: unpaid withholding requires assessing the taxable proportion of nonresident remittances to fix payer liability.
When tax has not been deducted on payments to non-residents, the tax officer shall determine the appropriate proportion of the remitted sum that is chargeable to tax to quantify the payer's liability, based on the nature of the remittance, income components and other relevant facts; failure to deduct renders the payer a deemed assessee in default with interest consequences.

Panchnama preparation: Ensure accurate recording and seals inspection by authorized officers to preserve evidentiary value during searches.
Preparation of panchnama must accurately record the person(s) named in the warrant, the exact place authorized to be searched, names and designations of authorized officers and assisting officials, complete witness addresses, and significant events during the search including obstructions and seal inspections. When search resumes on a subsequent day, the new panchnama must reference the preceding panchnama and note inspection of seals. A copy of the warrant may be supplied on request with acknowledgment placed on file and recorded in the Appraisal Report.

Additional income-tax on distributed income applies to dividends only, not to redemptions, repurchases, or bonus units.
The levy of additional income-tax under the provision applies only to income distributed to unit-holders as dividends by mutual funds or specified companies; receipts on redemption or repurchase of units and allotment of bonus units are not treated as distributed income for this purpose and therefore are outside the scope of the additional tax. Transfer of units may remove the exemption and attract capital gains tax as applicable.

Disallowance under section 14A: expenses can be disallowed even if no exempt income was earned in the year.
The Board clarifies that disallowance under section 14A read with Rule 8D applies even where an assessee has not earned exempt income in the year, because the statutory wording ''includible'' and ''income under the Act'' and Rule 8D's formulas tie disallowance to investments yielding exempt income rather than to receipts in the year.

ITR V filing deadline relaxation allows speed post submission for e filed refund claims and mandates processing after receipt.
CBDT relaxes and extends the time for furnishing signed ITR V for electronically filed returns with refund claims for the specified assessment years, allowing submission by speed post by the extended date for returns e filed within the time under section 139. Such returns shall be processed within six months from the end of the month in which ITR V is received and intimation sent to the assessee; interest on refunds will be determined under section 244A. Taxpayers may verify ITR V receipt via the Income tax e filing portal.

Media interaction guidelines ensure designated official issues factual press releases with senior approval and coordinated corrective responses.
The memorandum designates the CIT (M&TP) as the Official Spokesperson and Media-Coordinator responsible for compiling information, issuing factual press releases and maintaining records, with the Addl. CIT (M&TP) as alternate. All media statements and press releases must align with government policy and be approved by the Competent Authority (Chairperson). Offices/divisions must provide timely inputs and supporting material; factual inaccuracies in media reports are to be corrected through authorised government versions. Investigation-related media matters are routed to the Member (Inv.).

Exemption for government rewards to Olympic and similar medal winners confirmed as tax-exempt, covering cash or in-kind payments.
The Central Government authorises that any payment, whether in cash or in kind, made by the Central Government or a State Government as a reward to medal winners of the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games or Asian Games shall be treated as exempt from income tax under the relevant provision, with effect from the date of the order.

PAN allotment procedure change requires self attested ID, address and birth documents with originals produced for verification.
Applicants must submit self-attested copies of Proof of Identity, Proof of Address and Date of Birth with the PAN application and produce the original POI/POA/DOB documents for verification at PAN facilitation centres (list of acceptable documents in Instructions to Form 49A/49AA). Copies will be verified against originals; originals will not be retained and will be returned after inspection. A processing fee applies.

Income tax rate structure and major amendments that expand deductions, introduce new TDS provisions, and modify GAAR timeline.
The Finance Act, 2013 enacts broad direct tax amendments: it prescribes income tax rates and corresponding TDS/advance tax rates for 2013 14; inserts and amends substantive provisions including definitions of capital asset, valuation rules for immovable property transfers, and treatment of keyman insurance; creates targeted incentives (deduction for large investment in new plant and machinery, first home loan interest deduction, pass through status to qualifying AIFs); introduces withholding on certain property transfers and concessional withholding on specified rupee bonds; revises GAAR implementation and composition; and establishes special distribution taxes (buy back of unlisted shares, mutual funds, securitisation trusts) alongside procedural changes to audits, limitation periods and compliance reporting.

Taxability of awards for sportsmen: gifts are taxable unless the award is government approved for exemption.
A prior circular exempting awards to non professional sportsmen as gifts is overridden by statutory amendments that render gifts taxable; accordingly that circular is inapplicable from the date of the legal change. Awards or rewards specifically approved by the Central Government remain eligible for exemption, and eligible recipients may claim exemption only for awards covered by such government approvals.

Lower tax deduction certificates under section 197 must be decided within prescribed timeframe to ensure timely compliance.
The Board directs that applications for certificates of lower deduction or non-deduction of tax at source under section 197 must be disposed of within the Citizens Charter timeline of one month; Assessing Officers must scrupulously adhere to this timeframe and the instruction is to be brought to the notice of all field officers for compliance.