Section 511 Furnishing of report in respect of international group

Income-tax Act, 2025

At a Glance

The document reproduces Clause 511 - Income Tax Bill, 2025 - Old Version, setting out reporting obligations for constituent entities of international groups (country-by-country reporting style). It matters for multinational groups with Indian resident constituent entities - both taxpayers (resident constituent entities, parent entities, alternate reporting entities) and the tax administration. Effective date or commencement is Not stated in the document.

Background & Scope

Statutory hooks: Clause 511 sits within miscellaneous provisions of the Income Tax Bill, 2025 and proposes a standalone reporting obligation for "international groups". The clause creates duties to notify the prescribed income-tax authority and to furnish reports containing consolidated and constituent-level financial and operational information. Definitions and scope are provided within the clause itself. Any subordinate rules, forms, timelines and thresholds are to be set out "as prescribed" (delegated rule-making).

Statutory Provision Mode

Text & Scope

Clause 511 imposes three principal obligations:

• Notification (sub-section (1)): Every constituent entity resident in India that is part of an international group whose parent is not resident in India must notify the prescribed income-tax authority in the prescribed form and manner by the prescribed date whether it is the alternate reporting entity and/or provide details of the parent or alternate reporting entity and their jurisdictions.
• Reporting (sub-section (2)): Every parent entity or alternate reporting entity resident in India must, for each reporting accounting year, furnish a report to the prescribed income-tax authority within twelve months from the end of that reporting accounting year, in the prescribed form and manner.
• Fallback reporting (sub-section (4)): Where an Indian resident constituent entity is not the parent/alternate reporting entity, it must furnish the report within a prescribed period if the parent is resident in a jurisdiction that (a) is not obligated to file such a report; (b) lacks an agreement with India for exchange of the report; or (c) has experienced a "systemic failure" and that failure has been intimated by the prescribed income-tax authority.
• Sub-sections (3) and (6) detail report content and exceptions; (7) grants the authority the power to issue notices and require supporting information; (8) provides a consolidated-revenue threshold exemption; and (9) permits application "as prescribed".

Interpretation

The text indicates a legislative intent to implement a country-by-country reporting regime targeted at large international groups with constituent entities resident in India. The use of express definitions (e.g., "consolidated financial statement", "parent entity", "constituent entity", "reporting accounting year") demonstrates an intent to align reporting obligations with financial reporting and with international standards for transfer pricing transparency. Several interpretive principles are signalled by the text: alignment with parent-jurisdiction financial periods, deference to prescribed forms and procedures, and reliance on intergovernmental agreements for automatic exchange.

Exceptions/Provisos

Key carve-outs and conditions:

• Threshold exemption (sub-section (8)): The section will not apply if the total consolidated group revenue for the preceding accounting year does not exceed the prescribed amount - the specific monetary threshold is Not stated in the document.
• Non-application where an alternate reporting entity files in its jurisdiction and certain conditions are met (sub-section (6)): Conditions include the foreign report being required by local law, presence of an exchange agreement between that country and India, absence of any systemic failure communicated by the Indian authority, written designation of the alternate reporting entity, and prior notification under sub-section (1). These are cumulative preconditions.
• Fallback allocation where multiple Indian resident constituent entities exist (sub-section (5)): If more than one Indian constituent entity exists, any one designated entity may furnish the report provided the group has designated that entity and the information has been conveyed in writing to the prescribed authority.

Illustrations

• Example 1: A multinational group with a non-resident parent and one Indian subsidiary that is designated as the alternate reporting entity must notify the income-tax authority in India and, if resident as alternate reporting entity, file the report within 12 months of the reporting accounting year end. (All procedural details - forms/timelines - are Not stated in the document.)
• Example 2: An Indian permanent establishment (PE) of a foreign enterprise that prepares separate financial statements as a PE falls within "constituent entity" and, if the foreign parent's jurisdiction neither files nor exchanges reports with India, that Indian PE may be required to furnish the report within the prescribed period. (Precise prescribed period is Not stated in the document.)

Interplay

The clause expressly contemplates interaction with:

• Section 159(1) or (2) (via the definition of "agreement") - signalling reliance on specified intergovernmental agreements for exchange.
• Section 173(c) (for the meaning of "permanent establishment").
• Prescribed rules/guidelines/conditions that remain to be issued for form, manner, dates and thresholds. The document does not reproduce any subordinate rules or forms. Specific interactions with existing transfer-pricing or information-exchange regimes are Not stated in the document beyond the express reference to agreements for exchange.

Differences between the Document 1 "Section 511 of Income-tax Act, 2025" and Document 2 "Clause 511 - Income Tax Bill, 2025 - Old Version"

• Prescription wording: Document 1 repeatedly uses the phrase "as may be prescribed" (e.g., sub-sects (1), (2), (3), (9)), whereas Document 2 often uses the shorter "as prescribed".
  • Practical impact: negligible substantive difference in content; "as may be prescribed" can imply delegation to subordinate legislation, while "as prescribed" is more neutral - both indicate delegated rule-making. In practice, stakeholders should expect rules/guidelines to be issued regardless.
• Minor phrasing differences: e.g., Document 1 in sub-section (4)(c) reads "where there has been a systemic failure of the country or territory and such failure has been intimated by the prescribed income-tax authority to such constituent entity" while Document 2 reads "where there has been a systemic failure and such failure has been intimated by the prescribed income-tax authority to such constituent entity."
  • Practical impact: none substantive; the enacted text in Document 1 clarifies that the systemic failure is of the foreign country/territory, but Document 2's meaning would be read the same way in context.
• Overall: there are no material substantive differences in obligations, definitions, thresholds or exceptions between the two texts provided. The principal practical impact arises from the change in status from a Bill clause (Document 2) to an enacted statutory section (Document 1) and minor drafting refinements that preserve the same legal obligations and delegated-rulemaking expectation.

Practical Implications

• Compliance and risk areas: Indian resident constituent entities of international groups must track whether their group's parent is resident outside India, determine whether they are designated as alternate reporting entity, and ensure timely notification to the prescribed income-tax authority. Parent or alternate reporting entities resident in India must prepare and file the prescribed report within 12 months of the reporting accounting year end. Failure to notify or file may expose entities to compliance actions under the Act and to information requests under sub-section (7).
• Record-keeping/evidence: The text requires aggregated country-level financial and operational metrics and constituent-level details; accordingly, entities will need robust consolidated financial statements, country allocation methodologies, documentation of designation as alternate reporting entity, and written communications to the Indian authority. The precise content and format are "as prescribed" and therefore entities must monitor subordinate instruments for technical compliance requirements (not specified in the Bill text).

Key Takeaways

• Clause 511 establishes country-by-country style reporting obligations for international groups with Indian resident constituent entities.
• There is a dual duty: initial notification by Indian resident constituent entities (where parent is non-resident) and annual reporting by Indian parent/alternate reporting entities within 12 months of reporting accounting year end.
• Fallback reporting obligations apply to Indian resident constituent entities if the parent's jurisdiction does not file, does not exchange, or has a communicated systemic failure.
• Exemptions hinge on a consolidated revenue threshold for the preceding year; the specific threshold is to be prescribed and is Not stated in the document.
• The power to request supporting information and documents within defined timelines is provided to the prescribed income-tax authority.
• Many operational details (form, manner, prescribed dates, exact thresholds) are left to delegated rules; stakeholders must monitor rule-making for compliance specifics.

Full Text:

Section 511 Furnishing of report in respect of international group