Where a payment is made through Credit or Debit Card or Electronic Clearance method in excess of Rs. 20,000, the same is allowed under Section 40A and Rule 6DD. See the text of notification no. 208/2007 below:

 

Notification No. 208/2007, Dated: June 27, 2007

Income Tax

In exercise of the powers conferred by Section 295 read with proviso to sub-section (3) of Section 40A of the Income-tax Act, 1961 (43 of 1961), the Central Board of Direct Taxes hereby makes the following rules further to amend the Income-tax Rules, 1962, namely:-

1. (1) These rules may be called the Income-tax (8th Amendment) Rules, 2007.

(2) They shall come into force with effect from the assessment year 2008-09.

2. In the Income-tax Rules, 1962, for rule 6DD, the following rule shall be substituted, namely:-

' Cases and circumstances in which payment in a sum exceeding twenty thousand rupees may be made other-wise than by an account payee cheque drawn on a bank or account payee bank draft.

6DD. No disallowance wider clause (a) of sub-section (3) of Section 40A shall be made and no payment shall be deemed to be the profits and gains of business or profession under clause (b) of sub-section (3) of Section 40A where any payment in a sum exceeding twenty thousand rupees is made otherwise than by an account payee cheque drawn on a bank or account payee bank draft in the cases and circumstances specified hereunder, namely:-

(a) where the payment is made to-

(i) the Reserve Bank of India or any banking company as defined in clause (c) of Section 5 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (10 of 1949);

(ii) the State Bank of India or any subsidiary bank as defined in Section 2 of the State Bank of India (Subsidiary Banks) Act, 1959 (38 of 1959);

(iii) any co-operative bank or land mortgage bank;

(iv) any primary agricultural credit society or any primary credit society as defined under Section 56 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (10 of 1949);

(v) the Life Insurance Corporation of India established under Section 3 of the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956 (31 of 1956);

(b) where the payment is made to the Government and, under the rules framed by it, such payment is required to be made in legal tender;

(c) where the payment is made by-

(i) any letter of credit arrangements through a bank;

(ii) a mail or telegraphic transfer through a bank;

(iii) a book adjustment from any account in a bank to any other account in that or any other bank;

(iv) a bill of exchange made payable only to a bank;

(v) the use of electronic clearing system through a bank account;

(vi) a credit card;

(vii) a debit card.

Explanation.- For the purposes of this clause and clause (g), the term "bank" means any bank, banking company or society referred to in sub-clauses (i) to (iv) of clause (a) and includes any bank [not being a banking company as defined in clause (c) of Section 5 of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (10 of 1949)], whether incorporated or not, which is established outside India;

(d) where the payment is made by way of adjustment against the amount of any liability incurred by the payee for any goods supplied or services rendered by the assessee to such payee;

(e) where the payment is made for the purchase of-

(i) agricultural or forest produce; or

(ii) the produce of animal husbandry (including livestock, meat, hides and skins) or dairy or poultry farming; or

(iii) fish or fish products; or

(iv) the products of horticulture or apiculture, to the cultivator, grower or producer of such articles, produce or products;

(f) where the payment is made for the purchase of the products manufactured or processed without the aid of power in a cottage industry, to the producer of such products;

(g) where the payment is made in a village or town, which on the date of such payment is not served by any bank, to any person who ordinarily resides, or is carrying on any business, profession or vocation, in any such village or town;

(h) where any payment is made to an employee of the assessee or the heir of any such employee, on or in connection with the retirement, retrenchment, resignation, discharge or death of such employee, on account of gratuity, retrenchment compensation or similar terminal benefit and the aggregate of such sums payable to the employee or his heir does not exceed fifty thousand rupees;

(i) where the payment is made by an assessee by way of salary to his employee after deducting the income-tax from salary in accordance with the provisions of Section 192 of the Act, and when such employee-

(i) is temporarily posted for a continuous period of fifteen days or more in a place other than his normal place of duty or on a ship; and

(ii) does not maintain any account in any bank at such place or ship;

(j) where the payment was required to be made on a day on which the banks were closed either on account of holiday or strike;

(k) where the payment is made by any person to his agent who is required to make payment in cash for goods or services on behalf of such person;

(l) where the payment is made by an authorised dealer or a money changer against purchase of foreign currency or travellers cheques in the normal course of his business.

Explanation.- For the purposes of this clause, the expressions "authorised dealer" or "money changer" means a person authorised as an authorised dealer or a money changer to deal in foreign currency or foreign exchange under any law for the time being in force.' .

F.No.142/4/2007-TPL

(Pankaj Jindal)
Under Secy.

Note:- The principal rules were published vide notification number S.O. 969(E), dated the 26th March, 1962 and last amended by Income-tax (7th Amendment) Rules, 2007 vide notification number S.O. 853(E) dated the 30-5-2007.

 

Payment by credit or debit card permitted as valid mode preventing disallowance under Section 40A when made electronically. The substituted Rule 6DD provides that no disallowance under Section 40A(3) shall be made where payments exceeding the cash threshold are made by specified payees or by specified modes including letters of credit, telegraphic transfers, book adjustments, bills of exchange payable to a bank, electronic clearing through a bank account, credit cards and debit cards, and where defined exceptions apply for adjustments against liabilities, purchases from producers, cottage industry payments, localities without banks, employee terminal benefits, temporary postings without local bank accounts, bank closures, agent cash payments, and authorised foreign currency dealers.