Failure to remit tax collected at source criminalised, exposing collectors to imprisonment and fine; exception for timely remittance.
Failure to remit to Government the tax collected at source is a penal offence punishable by imprisonment and fine, targeting persons who collect tax at source and imposing personal liability for payment to Government credit. A narrow temporal exception excludes application where payment has been made on or before the time prescribed for filing the relevant statement, and the provision contains no mitigating grounds, mens rea gradation, or procedural compounding mechanisms.