Section 456 Penalty for failure to furnish statement or information or document by an eligible investment fund.

Income-tax Act, 2025

At a Glance

This provision imposes a fixed penalty on an "eligible investment fund" that fails to furnish a required statement, information or document. It matters to investment funds and the income-tax department because it creates a mandatory monetary sanction for non-compliance with specified reporting obligations. The effective date or enactment date is Not stated in the document.

Background & Scope

Statutory hooks: Clause 456 (Bill version) links the penalty to obligations u/s 9(12)(e) [section 9A(5)]. Section 456 (Act version) links the penalty to paragraph 4 of Schedule I. Both provisions concern penalties for eligible investment funds that fail to furnish statements/information/documents. Definitions or explanations of "eligible investment fund" or the content/timing of the statement are Not stated in the document. The provision is placed under the heading "PENALTIES" in both sources.

Statutory Provision Mode

Text & Scope

Coverage: The provision applies to "any eligible investment fund" that is required to furnish a statement or any information or document under the referenced provision (Clause: section 9(12)(e) [section 9A(5)]; Section: paragraph 4 of Schedule I). The penalty is a fixed sum of five lakh rupees (Rs.500000). The income-tax authority prescribed under the referenced provision is empowered to "direct that such fund shall pay, by way of penalty, a sum of five lakh rupees." The trigger element is failure to furnish within the time prescribed under the referenced provision.

Interpretation

Legislative intent and interpretive principles indicated by the text: The plain text signals a strict, fixed-quantum sanction intended to ensure compliance by eligible investment funds with reporting obligations. The use of the phrase "may direct" indicates discretion in the prescribed income-tax authority to impose the penalty upon a finding of failure to furnish. There is no express provision in the clause about stages of notice, opportunity to explain, mitigation, or discretionary factors-such procedural or mitigating mechanisms are Not stated in the document. The text ties the imposition to the time prescribed under the referenced provision, so timeliness is the operative compliance parameter.

Exceptions/Provisos

No provisos, carve-outs, thresholds, or exceptions appear in the textual extract provided. Any exceptions or conditions (for example, due cause, reasonable cause, or reduction mechanisms) are Not stated in the document.

Illustrations

• Example 1: An eligible investment fund required by the referenced provision to submit an annual statement by a specified date fails to furnish the statement by that date. Under the provision, the prescribed income-tax authority may direct payment of five lakh rupees as penalty. (Derived strictly from the text.)
• Example 2: An eligible investment fund provides partial information but omits a required document and does not submit it within the prescribed time. Subject to interpretation of what constitutes "failure to furnish," the prescribed income-tax authority may impose the fixed penalty. (The document does not elaborate on partial compliance or materiality thresholds.)

Interplay

Interaction with Rules/Notifications/Circulars mentioned in the document: Not stated in the document. The provision cross-references another statutory provision (sections or schedule) which presumably sets out the detailed reporting obligation and may prescribe the income-tax authority and timelines; however, the content of that provision is Not stated in the document. There is no mention of procedural rules, appeal routes or interaction with general penalty provisions of the Act in the excerpt provided.

Differences Between the Two Provisions and Practical Impact

• Textual placement and cross-reference:Section 456 (Income-tax Act, 2025) refers to "paragraph 4 of Schedule I" as the source of the duty to furnish a statement/information/document; Clause 456 (Income Tax Bill, 2025 - Old Version) refers to "section 9(12)(e) [section 9A (5)]."
  • Practical impact: the operative obligation and the identity of the income-tax authority empowered to impose the penalty are tied to different provisions depending on which text applies. This alters the statutory hook for scope, procedures, timelines and potentially the class of entities captured, depending on how paragraph 4 of Schedule I versus section 9(12)(e)/9A(5) define "eligible investment fund" and reporting requirements. The document does not specify the substantive differences between those cross-referenced provisions. (Not stated in the document.)
• Authority description: Section 456 says "the income-tax authority prescribed under the said paragraph" while Clause 456 says "the income-tax authority prescribed under the said section."
  • Practical impact: functionally similar language but depends on whether the prescribing provision is in a Schedule or a Section-this may affect interpretive approach to delegated prescription and internal cross-references in the statute. (Not stated in the document whether any different authorities are in fact prescribed.)

Practical Implications

• Compliance and risk areas: Eligible investment funds must identify whether they fall within the scope of the referenced reporting provision (section 9(12)(e)/9A(5) or paragraph 4 of Schedule I as applicable) and must ensure timely submission of the required statements/information/documents. Non-furnishing within prescribed time may attract a fixed penalty of five lakh rupees.
• Record-keeping/evidence points: While the provision does not specify records, it implies a need for funds to maintain clear evidence of timely filing and communications with tax authorities (filing receipts, courier/tracking records, email acknowledgements), since timeliness is the key d'eclencheur of the penalty. The document does not prescribe particular forms or documentary standards.

Key Takeaways

• The provision creates a fixed monetary penalty (Rs.500,000 / five lakh rupees) for eligible investment funds that fail to furnish required statements/information/documents within prescribed time.
• The Bill (old version) and the Act text differ primarily in the cross-reference point: the Bill ties the duty to section 9(12)(e)/9A(5), while the Act text ties it to paragraph 4 of Schedule I.
• The sanction is discretionary ("may direct") in the hands of the prescribed income-tax authority; procedural safeguards (notice, opportunity to explain) are Not stated in the document.
• No exceptions, mitigating factors, or alternative penalty scales are provided in the excerpt; the penalty is an absolute fixed sum as drafted.
• Operational effect depends on the substantive scope and timelines in the provision to which this penalty is linked; those substantive details are Not stated in the document.
• The minor textual differences in numeric versus spelled-out amount do not change the quantum; the crucial change is the statutory cross-reference location.

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Full Text:

Section 456 Penalty for failure to furnish statement or information or document by an eligible investment fund.

Penalty for non-furnishing by eligible investment funds may be imposed as a fixed sanction for late or missing reports. The provision authorises the prescribed income tax authority to direct an eligible investment fund to pay a fixed penalty of five lakh rupees where the fund fails to furnish a required statement, information or document within the time prescribed under the referenced provision; the sanction is discretionary and the text contains no exceptions, mitigation procedures or notice stages in the extract provided.