Direct payment obligation makes the recipient liable where TDS is absent, with deductor deemed in default if both parties fail.
Clause 391 requires the recipient to pay income tax directly where TDS is not applicable or has not been deducted, includes a deferred payment mechanism for specified securities and sweat equity issued by eligible start-ups as per the Bill's timelines, and creates a deeming fiction rendering the deductor or employer an assessee-in-default if both deductor and assessee fail to discharge the liability, while preserving interest, penalty and crediting consequences.