Directors' and Officers' Liability for Corporate Tax Offences : Clause 487 of the Income Tax Bill, 2025 Vs. Section 278B of the Income-tax Act, 1961

Corporate officer liability: deeming provision shifts initial burden to accused, with due diligence defence for tax offences.

Where a company commits an income-tax offence, the company and every person who was in charge of, and responsible to, the company for the conduct of the business at the time are statutorily deemed guilty and liable to prosecution, subject to a defence that the individual lacked knowledge or exercised all due diligence to prevent the offence; separate liability arises where the offence occurred with the consent, connivance, or neglect of officers, companies are punishable by fine while individuals may face full penal consequences, and definitions explicitly include firms and associations of persons.