Powers of competent authority: generic clause grants Assessing Officer equivalent enquiry powers, raising definition and safeguard concerns.
Clause 256 gives a competent authority the power to make any enquiry under the Act with all the powers of an Assessing Officer, mirroring Section 135 of the 1961 Act but replacing an enumerative list of officials with a generic term whose scope depends on definitions and notifications; the clause defers procedural safeguards to the general framework of the Act, making clear definition and transparent designation critical to avoid arbitrariness and jurisdictional overlap.