Failure to furnish tax returns: criminal penalties with tiered custody and limited safe harbour for late filing.
Criminal liability is imposed for wilful failure to furnish a required return of income, with a two-tiered custodial and fine regime linked to the amount of tax evaded. A limited bar to prosecution exists where the return is subsequently furnished within the procedural time references or, for non-companies, where the residual tax shortfall after qualifying payments falls below a de minimis threshold. The scope of the safe harbour depends on the timing rules in the cross referenced procedural subsection.