Amendment in the provisions of section 263 of the Act

Section 263 of the Act contains the provision for revision of order which is erroneous in so far as it is prejudicial to the interests of revenue. An order under section 263 of the Act can be passed within two years from the end of the financial year in which the order sought to be revised was passed.

2. As per provisions of section 92CA, if the Assessing Officer considers it necessary or expedient, he may, with the approval of the Principal Commissioner or Commissioner refer the computation of arm’s length price (ALP or specified domestic transaction entered into by an assessee, to the Transfer Pricing Officer (TPO). The TPO passes an order determining the ALP in an international transaction or specified domestic transaction under the provisions of section 92CA and send it to the Assessing Officer for final income determination. However, it is not clear as to who has the power under section 263 to revise the order of the TPO passed under section 92CA.

3. Therefore, it is proposed to amend the provisions of section 263 of the Act so as to provide that the Principal Chief Commissioner or the Chief Commissioner or the Principal Commissioner or Commissioner who is assigned the jurisdiction of transfer pricing may call for and examine the record of any proceeding under this Act, and if he considers that any order passed by the TPO, working under his jurisdiction, to be erroneous in so far as it is prejudicial to the interests of revenue, he may pass an order directing revision of the order of TPO. Consequential changes are also be made in the provisions of section 153 of the Act inter alia to provide two months’ time to the Assessing Officer to give effect to the order of TPO consequent to the directions in the revision order.

4. Further, in section 153 of the Act, it is proposed to

(i) provide that the provisions of sub-sections (3) and (5) of that section shall also be applicable to order passed by Transfer Pricing Officer under section 92CA,

(ii) to insert sub-section (5A) to provide that where the Transfer Pricing Officer gives effect to an order or direction under section 263 by means of an order under section 92CA and forwards such order to the Assessing Officer, the Assessing Officer shall proceed to modify the order of assessment or reassessment or recomputation, in conformity with such order of the Transfer Pricing Officer, within two months from the end of the month in which such order of the Transfer Pricing Officer is received by him,

(iii) provide that the said provisions of the sub-section (6) shall also be applicable to orders referred to in the sub-section (5A) inserted in the Act.

5. These amendments will take effect from 1st of April, 2022.

[Clause 48 and 72]

 

 

 

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Full Text:

Budget 2022-23 + FINANCE Bill, 2022

Revision powers under section 263 expand to permit review of Transfer Pricing Officer orders with mandated implementation timelines. Proposed amendments grant senior officers assigned transfer pricing jurisdiction power under section 263 to call for and examine TPO records and to revise TPO orders deemed erroneous and prejudicial to revenue. Section 153 is modified so subsections (3) and (5) apply to TPO orders, a new subsection (5A) obliges the Assessing Officer to modify assessments in conformity with a TPO order within two months of receipt, and related implementation provisions are extended to such orders.